HHHliiii 

..:.■'!■.■. 



H : 



In 



Hi 







ill 



li lWM lllM 




i\ : . 



„•*• * 



•.:■> 



2. 






0> '. 



; _ 











V ^ 




x^ V ' r - 


■ 





- - 






^ 



^ S* 



vV 






.> 



„•* -Cl 



f "S " 






S ,/ o 



% <* 



o^ 






- 






\V V - j 'p. 



-.V *%-. 



s a\ 



,5 %^ 



vOO. 












o 



^ 



x ^ 







Q- 



J ■ v> 










4 ^ 



./' %, 






o>' 






■A 



->. 



* , ^ 



^ 



a\ 



•^ , 









'«p ,<v 



*V d». 



^ -u 






w 






THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



three vassar girls. 




ELIZABETH W. CHAMPNEY. 




m 


THREE 


VASSAR GIRLS ABROAD. 


THREE 


VASSAR GIRLS IN ENGLAND. 


THREE 


VASSAR GIRLS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 


THREE 


VASSAR GIRLS IN ITALY. 


THREE 


VASSAR GIRLS ON THE RHINE. 


THREE 


VASSAR GIRLS AT HOME. 


THREE 


VASSAR GIRLS IN FRANCE. 


THREE 


VASSAR GIRLS IN RUSSIA AND TURKEY. 


THREE 


VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 




• 


ESTES & LAURIAT, Publishers, 




BOSTON, MASS. 



ft 




AT THE ALTDORF FESTIVAL. 



,- / 



Three Vassar Girls 



IN 



SWITZERLAND. 



BY 

ELIZABETH w! CHAMPNEY, 

H 

AUTHOR OF " A NEGLECTED CORNER OF EUROPE," " THREE VASSAR GIRLS ABROAD,' 
"THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN ENGLAND," ETC. 



J 






ILLUSTRATED BY "CHAMP" 

And other Distinguished Artists. 




BOSTON: 
ESTES & LAURIAT, 

PUBLISHERS. 



\^-\o\ 



IX 



Copyright, i8go, 
By ESTES & LAURIAT. 



All Rights Reserved. 



THE LIBRARY 
OF CONGRESS 

WASHINGTON 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. A Skeleton Key and Margaret's Mistake n 

II. Annette's Revenge 20 

III. Geneva ' 34 

IV. The Countess 51 

V. The Jungfrau and the Oberland 72 

VI. Lucerne , . . 90 

VII. The Tell Festival 106 

VIII. Our Lady of Poverty . 123 

IX. Life at the Alm 143 

X. Lost 158 

XI. The. Wagner Festival. Bavaria 177 

XII. The Fairy Cow 192 

XIII. The Great St. Bernard and Mont Blanc 205 

XIV. The Fete des Vignerons 222 

7 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

At the Altdorf Festival ......... 3 

Margaret 12 

Annette 13 

The Castle of Weierburg 15 

St. Cecilia as Mediator 21 

Grandfather Houghton 24 

A Swiss Mountain Torrent 25 

An Alpine Waterfall 27 

" Do You want to go to Prison or to Switzer- 
land?" 31 

Grandfather Houghton in Alpine Costume . 37 

" Mer de Glace," Mont Blanc 39 

Alice Newton 41 

The Girl in the Hading Veil 42 

Calumet and Hecla 43 

Lord Highnose 44 

Mr. Walker 45 

The Hotel Neuchatelois 46 

The Prisoner of Chillon 47 

The Countess 52 

Lajos 54 

" Calumet and Hecla is up ! " 57 

Peasant Waitress 58 

The Dent du Midi from above the Lake of 

Geneva 59 

The Countess enthroned 65 

The Entomologist receives the Apology . . 68 

A Metamorphosed Native of Interlaken . . 76 

The Jungfrau 77 

The Judge salutes the Jungfrau 78 



PAGE 

" Positively Fwiteful ! " 82 

The Wellhorn and Wetterhorn 85 

Mr. Barney Jones in Difficulties 88 

Pilatus, Lake of Lucerne 91 

Hotel National, Lucerne 93 

Stock Quotations 96 

Annette takes her Departure 99 

Bridge of Lucerne . 102 

Margaret and Alice discuss Lajos .... 109 

The Rigi, from Lucerne ill 

A Swiss Maiden 113 

Tell's Chapel, Lake of Lucerne 114 

Costume of Peasant of Untervvalden . . .116 

Railway up the Rigi 119 

The Comforts of Donkey-riding 121 

On the Brink of a Precipice 124 

The: Matterhorn 125 

Katchen . 132 

Yakob Lochwalder 133 

A Goatherd of the Zermatt Valley . . . .139 

Yakob accepts his Relatives 145 

The Accident on the Matterhorn . . . . 149 

The Real Thing at last 156 

The Great Aletsch Glacier 163 

Mother Lochwalder 166 

Rescuing Party on the Matterhorn .... 169 

On the Matterhorn 170 

Abbey of Einsiedeln 179 

Frau Selig 1 S2 

Minna 183 

9 



IO 



ILL USTRA TIONS. 



A Devotee of Wagner ...... 

Listening to " Parsifal," No. I 
Listening to " Parsifal," No. 2 

Mrs. Newton 

On the Ficht.lgebirge 

Nikolas 

A Peasant of Zermatt 

A Peasant Woman of the Zermatt Valley 



S 7 
SS 

97 

99 

201 



The Great St. Bernard 209 

Barry, the Brave Dog of St. Bernard . . . 213 



PAGE 

The Baron .....„„.„... 217 

Baroness of Hohenschlosse 217 

"To think that I was like that ! " . . „ .218 

A Student of Berne 224 

High Street, Berne 225 

Katchen Americanized . . . ... . . 227 

At the Festival 228 

Taking it all in 229 

Vintage Festival, Vevey 231 

Kisfaludy Janos 233 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS 



IN 



SWITZERLAND. 



j%KC 



CHAPTER I. 

A SKELETON KEY AND MARGARET'S MISTAKE. 

" A ND to think that by a word it is in my power to prove her the 
f-\ grand-niece of a baroness." 

The speaker was Annette Stauffer, a Swiss girl, ex-seam- 
stress and waitress in Margaret's home. She spoke to herself, ex- 
citedly, as she rapidly packed her trunk, for she had just given up her 
situation. 

" Shall I furnish the missing link in the chain of evidence, and 
prove her the child of one of the proudest houses of Austria ? No ; 
she is arrogant enough as she is. She has treated me as if I were the 
earth to be trodden upon. She is a bundle of selfishness, through and 
through. She cares for no one but herself. If it were Miss Boylston, 
so kind and thoughtful of others, so gentle and so generous, I would 
work my fingers to stubs to serve her; but My Lady Disdain, never." 

Annette was wrong. Margaret was not wholly selfish. She pos- 
sessed magnificent qualities, capabilities of self-sacrifice and devotion ; 
but these were as yet undeveloped, and hidden under the crust of a 
love of ease. It was true that she was haughty, and apt to exhibit 
a fine scorn of everything mean and base; but the scorn was more 
frequently excited by moral meanness than by low rank in the social 
scale. Rank of intellect and heroism commanded an almost over- 

ii 



12 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



weening admiration from her, and it was her special heartburn that 
none of her own family had distinguished themselves in any way. 
She would have liked to be a leader in society for some real merit of 
her own, or of her ancestors ; and she was a leader among her friends 

and associates both at home and at col- 
lege, for the good and sufficient reason 
of ability. The name of Margaret Duf- 
fey figured as President of the Phila- 
lethean Society, President of the Young 
Women's Christian Association, Presi- 
dent of the Tennis Club, of the Dra- 
matic Association, of her class, Senior 
Editor of the Miscellany, and Chairman 
of the Executive Committee of half a 
dozen other organizations. It was a 
vexation to her that it was such a ple- 
beian name — Margaret Duffey ! It had 
a orenuine Irish sound. One would im- 
agine, on reading it, that it belonged to 
a laundress. She had said this before 
Annette, and the sewing-woman's gray 
eyes had snapped viciously. " She de- 
spises all the laboring class," Annette 
thought, "and me with the rest." But 
Margaret was not thinking of Annette 
at all. " What makes it all the more vexatious," she added, speaking 
to her friend Cecilia Boylston, familiarly called Saint, who was visiting 
her that summer, "is the fact that it is not really our name at all. 
Grandfather came to this country a political refugee, and changed 
his name to preserve his incognito. He might have chosen a pleas- 
anter appellation, when he had so unlimited a choice. When father 
was a boy he was told our real name ; but would you believe it, he 




MARGARET. 



A SKELETON KEY AND MARGARET'S MISTAKE. 



l 3 



attached so little importance to it that he forgot it. He can only 
remember that it sounded like Duffey, but was more aristocratic." 

" Did your grandfather leave no relatives in Europe ? " Cecilia 
asked, while Annette, who was sewing in the corner, pricked up 
her ears. 

"Yes; there was a little sister Margaret, of whom he was very 
fond. When I was born he insisted that father should name me for 
her, and he wrote to her of my 
birth. Grandfather was an old 
man then, and when the reply to 
the letter came from my great- 
aunt he lay on his death-bed. 
He charged my father to keep 
it for me, as it might prove to 
my advantage some day." 

" Surely, Margaret, this let- 
ter must give you all the infor- 
mation you wish." 

" Information ! That is just 



what it does not give. It is full 
of expressions of affection for 
her dear elder brother, for the 
nephew whom she had never 
seen, and for the little name- 
sake, who, she hopes, will some 
day visit her god-mother. But 
the letter is dated, simply, ' The annette. 

Riffel,' and signed ' Greta.' I 

know that The Riffel is in Switzerland ; but father has an impression 
that we are not of Swiss extraction. I have a picture of the Weier- 
burg, which I fancy looks like the home which she describes. 

Annette listened greedily. She longed to see the letter of which 




14 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

Margaret spoke, for her own home was near Zermatt and the 
Riffelburg. " Perhaps I knew her great-aunt, or at least, could help 
to find her," she said to herself ; but she did not mention this to 
Margaret, or ask to see the letter. This was not her way of 
procedure. 

She fancied that when she was not present people must be talking 
about her, and she listened at keyholes to learn what they were saying. 
Pierre, the gardener, meant, simply, that she had a suspicious nature, 
when he remarked that Annette was " naturally surreptitious " ; but 
the statement was perfectly true as it stood. It was not possible for 
Annette to be frank and open-handed. She was frightfully cross-eyed, 
and watched you narrowly, when she appeared to be interested in 
something in the opposite direction, and this physical defect seemed 
to have affected her character. She had a cross-eyed way of accom- 
plishing all her designs. She was consumed with curiosity to ascer- 
tain Margaret's ancestry, and she would ascertain it ; but Margaret 
should never know that it interested her in the least. So she sewed 
the ruche into Margaret's best gown, and thought with glee of the 
skeleton key in her pocket, and that she would have two good hours 
to rummage for that letter, while the young ladies were at the lawn 
party, for Mrs. D-uffey was away from home. She needed all the time ; 
for it was not in the little secretary through which she looked first, 
nor in the safe under the stairs with the silver, nor in the japanned 
tin box in which Mr. Duffey kept his stocks and bonds, or in any of 
the bureau drawers, or behind the sliding panel over the mantel, a 
secret hiding-place where Mrs. Duffey kept her jewels, which Annette 
had discovered the second day after her arrival ; but it dropped at last 
out of the atlas where Margaret had carelessly left it in searching for 
The Riffel. Annette sat down and read eagerly. The letter was 
written in a delicate foreign script, in Austrian-German, very easy 
for Annette, but puzzling for Margaret to decipher. It ran as 
follows : — 




THE CASTLE OF WEIERBURG. 



A SKELETON KEY AND MARGARET'S MISTAKE. I 7 

" RlFFELHAUS, SWITZERLAND, July, 



" My Dear Brother, — I cannot tell you how overjoyed I am to 
receive your letter. I had not heard from you for so long, that my 
heart imagined many tragedies. And so I am a great-aunt ? That 
sounds almost like a grandmother. The honor comes to me early, 
owing to the great difference in our ages. Only a child when you 
went away to America, but I remember the sorrowful day very clearly 
still. There are some things which are so branded into our memo- 
ries that we can never forget them. 

" But the little girl ! I am glad that she has come, and that you 
have named her for me. My god-daughter as well as grand-niece. 
Some day, now that our calamities seem to be overpast, she must 
come to her Aunt Greta. I shall not be such a very old woman when 
she is grown. I hope she will want to come to me. Tell her the way 
to the old home beside the mountain, with the window overhanging 
the precipice, from which they say you used to fish for swallows, with 
a fish-line, when a boy. Tell her all your old haunts, and I will show 
them to her. How you used to love to hang over that balcony ! I 
remember that once you rescued a little dog that had fallen into the 
valley. You made a slip-noose, the loop of which was a handkerchief, 
and, passing it over his body, drew him up to your window. A few 
days since, I saw a peasant girl of Zermatt draw a lamb out of the 
torrent which ran under her balcony, in much the same way, and the 
action reminded me so of you that I brought her home with me as 
my maid " — 

There had bef n something familiar to Annette in the story as 
Margaret had told it ; but with the incident of the lamb it all came 
back to her. Without any doubt, the Austrian Baroness who spent 
that same summer, eighteen years ago, at the Riffelhaus, with whom 
Annette, then a young peasant girl, served as maid, was Margaret's 
great-aunt. She remembered rescuing the lamb, and that she did it, 



1 8 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

not from any feeling of mercy, but because she was fond of roast 
mutton. To make assurance doubly sure, there was the Baroness's 
crest on the waxen seal, so indistinct that Margaret had not made it 
out, but Annette could trace the firebrand held by a gauntleted hand. 

And how like Margaret was to her god-mother, — the same impe- 
rious manners. Strange that she had not noticed the likeness before, 
— and as fond of riding on horse back. So absorbed was Annette in 
the letter that she did not hear a light step on the stair, or look up 
until Margaret stood before her and snatched the letter from her hands 
in a rage of indignation. " What do you mean by reading my letters ? " 
she exclaimed. "How dare you? And my desk open! How did 
you manage that ? What ? A skeleton key ! Annette, you are a 
thief." 

Annette sprang to her feet, the color flaming into her pale face. 

" I am not. What have I stolen ? Look in my trunk, look in my 
room, look everywhere." 

" I do not care to look. I am not one of the prying kind." 

" I demand it. You called me a thief. Prove that it is so, or else 
you lie. What have you ever missed ? " 

The two angry women stood facing each other as Cecilia entered 
the room with a calm, " What is the matter?" 

Margaret showed the skeleton key, and told her story. 

"Appearances are against you, Annette," said Cecilia. "What 
explanation have you to offer? What possible need has an honest 
woman of a skeleton key ? " 

" My brother was a locksmith ; he made it for me, so I need not 
trouble myself with a great many keys, — one for my trunk, another 
for my room, another for my bureau." 

" Very convenient ; and equally so for all of our locks, I presume." 
This from Margaret, in her most sneering accents. 

" Be it so. I ask again, what have you ever missed ? I have been 
with you four years. I could with that key unlock your safe, your 



A SKELETOJV KEY AND MARGARET'S MISTAKE. 



19 



father's money-box, your mother's jewel-case, everything, — that is 
true, — but what has been stolen since I lived with you — nothing — " 

" Is this true ? " Cecilia asked. 

" I believe it is," Margaret replied. " I have been too hasty, and I 
apologize. You are no thief, Annette; but you are what I despise 
just as much, — a prying, spying, suspicious eavesdropper. No; you 
needn't speak up. I stumbled over you the other day, in the entry, 
when I opened the door more quickly than you expected. You were 
listening, and you can't deny it. I absolve you from any intention of 
stealing. It was probably curiosity, and nothing else, which led you 
to ransack my desk and read my letters. If not, what motive had you 
for spying into my affairs ? Are you a special detective ? " 

There was only one way for Annette to vindicate herself, and she 
told a part of the truth. 

" I heard what you said this morning, Miss Margaret, of a letter 
from your great-aunt, from The Riffel. You know I come from that 
region ; and I wanted to see if possibly I knew her, and I found 
that I did." 

" What, you knew my Aunt Greta ? " Margaret exclaimed excitedly. 
" Tell me about her ! Is she alive ? Can I find her ? " 

It was Annette's turn to triumph. " I knew her, I could help you 
find her ; but you have called me a thief, you have resented my prying 
into your affairs. I will have nothing more to do with them. I leave 
your mother's employ to-day. You may tell her why. But I shall 
call, on Saturday, for my wages, and for a recommendation for honesty, 
Miss Margaret, for honesty, and for minding my own business. Do 
you understand ? " 



2Q THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



CHAPTER II. 



ANNETTE S REVENGE. 



WHEN Margaret became sufficiently calm to consider the 
matter coolly, she felt that she had made a great mistake in 
allowing her temper to make an enemy of Annette. 

" My angry passions are always getting me into trouble," she said 
remorsefully. " I can never learn to hold my tongue, and count an 
hundred. And now I shall never find my fairy god-mother." 

" Perhaps it was only a piece of bravado on Annette's part, by way 
of revenge." 

" No ; she is truthful as well as honest, and not quick at invention. 
There was too much genuine triumph in her eyes. I have narrowly 
missed a great piece of good fortune." 

" If you really regret having spoken as you did, why don't you go 
right to her and apologize ? " 

" It would be of no use. But Saint, dear, she dotes on you ; inter- 
cede for me." 

With many misgivings, Cecilia tapped at Annette's door. " Who's 
there?" was the ungracious response; but on hearing Cecilia's voice, 
the maid unbarred the door. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks 
swollen ; she had been weeping passionately. Cecilia put her arms 
about her and gently soothed her. " Margaret is very sorry," she said, 
after a time. "Will you not forgive her?" 

The girl stiffened instantly. " If Miss Margaret is sorry, why does 
she not come and say so ? " 

"She will, if you will let her — " 

" She can do as she pleases ; it makes no difference to me." 



ANNETTE'S REVENGE. 



21 



" But it makes a difference to Margaret. She has a good heart, 
and regrets that she has caused you pain." 

Annette sniffed scornfully. Cecilia remained with her some time 
longer, but could only make her agree not to leave the house until 
Mrs. Duffey's return that evening. 

There was a family council on the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Duffey. 
Seated around the library table, they discussed the matter in all its 
bearings, while Annette 
listened in the entry. 

Mr. Duffey was of the 
opinion that the girl's 
freaks were not worthy 
of consideration. " I have 
lived without my precious 
relative all my life, and I 
can do without her now. 
If she had cared for me 
in all these years, she 
have looked me 



might 
up." 



" But her kind letter 
was never answered, was 
it, Theodore ? " asked gen- 
tle Mrs. Duffey. "She 

must have thought that it never reached its destination, or that we 
did not care to keep up friendly relations." 

" It was never answered, because, when it arrived, father was too 
feeble in mind to attend to it, and he was the only one who knew the 
address. She was only staying for a short time at the Riff el Hotel ; 
and I have no idea where the old home that she speaks of is. It may 
be in the neighborhood, and it may be miles away. It is my opinion 
that Annette knows nothing about the matter." 




ST. CECILIA AS MEDIATOR. 



22 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

" It seems strange to me, father," said Margaret, "that you never 
inquired more about your family from grandpa." 

" Father very early showed me that such inquiries were useless. 
' I am a proscribed man, by no fault of my own, under penalty of 
death,' he confided to me. ' I have no longer any country or antece- 
dents, no home or family, except that which I can found here. The 
past is closed behind us ; let us look only to the future..' If I had 
known more, I might have endangered his life ; but having no secrets 
in my possession, I could not divulge them. I have reason to believe 
that letters not unfrequently passed between my father and his sister ; 
but hers were always carefully destroyed. This is the only one which 
has been preserved." 

" And this looks forward to a happy meeting with the little Greta, 
' now that our calamities are overpast.' " 

" I used to think she might come to this country," said Mr. DufTey ; 
" and I confess there was no great pleasure in the anticipation. After 
I had the honor of so respectable a connection as with your mother's 
family, I used to wonder what my honored father-in-law would say if 
a Nihilistic female with a carpet-bag full of dynamite should some day 
dismount from an omnibus at our doors, and exclaim, ' I am your long- 
lost aunt ! ' I tell you what, Greta, you had better let well enough 
alone. Your great-aunt is an unknown quantity, and we are very 
happy as we are." 

" But your father was not a criminal," Mrs. Duffey remarked. 
" He was a perfect gentleman, Theodore ; and my father respected 
him highly. Whatever his misfortune, it was no fault of his, I am 
sure." 

" And if aunt is an unknown quantity, there is the possibility that 
she may be a lady of rank," Margaret suggested, " a baroness, per- 
haps — " (There was a slight noise in the entry.) " And at any rate, 
we shall ascertain what our real name is; and it can't be worse than 
Duffey." 



ANNETTE'S REVENGE. 



2 3 



" There is only one chance out of a million of your drawing a 
prize," Mr. Duffey insisted, practically. "Suppose you discover some 
very undesirable relatives, if not actual criminals, — poor, ignorant 
peasants. This Aunt Greta is an old woman by this time. Imagine 
her poverty-stricken, disagreeable, diseased — " 

Then for an instant Margaret showed her better nature. " In that 
case, father, is there no duty laid on us ? We have enough and to 
spare. Is it not dishonest for us to leave a relative in possible 
need ? " 

Mr. Duffey looked at his daughter in surprised admiration. " And 
if she needs more than money ? I could furnish that, — but if she 
needs personal care and attention ? " 

" I think you would find that I would not fail." Margaret spoke 
modestly but firmly ; but Annette in the entry gave so loud a sniff of 
scornful doubt, that Mrs. Duffey started. 

" Did you hear that noise ? It reminded me of a snake in the 
grass." 

" More likely a rat in the arras, a la Hamlet," replied Margaret, 
pointing significantly at the entry door. No one sprang to open it ; 
all were agreed that the best policy now was conciliation. 

" And do you agree with your daughter's sentiments ? " asked Mr. 
Duffey. 

" Certainly," replied his wife. " Only prove that she is your aunt, 
and I will receive any one." 

" I wonder whether the Judge would agree with you." 

" I think it would be better to consult with father, of course," 
said Mrs. Duffey; "he has such excellent judgment." 

It was at once decided to adjourn the council to the home of 
Mrs. Duffey's father. 

The family found Judge Houghton deeply immersed in making- 
jottings from his scrap-book collection of the " Doings of the New 
York Geographical Society." So absorbed was he that, ordinarily 



24 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



punctilious, he had forgotten to take off his high hat. He greeted 
them all effusively, however, and began to talk at once. 

" I am arranging for my summer vacation," he said briskly; "and 
I have been looking over all the lectures that have been given before 
our society. I want to do something this summer that I can utilize 
in a lecture, with stereopticon views, at Chickering Hall this winter; 
and I have decided that the Higher Alps are just what I want. 
Don't some of you want to go with me ? Mother, here, thinks she 

is too old for mountain- 
eering." 

" I will go with you, 
grandpa," Margaret spoke 
up promptly. " At least, 
as far as The Riff el, if 
that's in your itinerary." 

" The very place to start 
from for the best moun- 
taineering: just at the foot 
of the Matterhorn and the 
Weisshorn and Monte 
Rosa, and Mont Blanc 
within a stone's throw, so 
to speak. 
" Only look at' this panorama outlined in Baedeker, of the view 
from the Gorner Grat, near the Riffel Hotel, and listen while I read 
a description of it from William H. Rideing. 

; ' On the one side the broad stream of the Gorner Glacier sweeps 
along beneath our feet, and across it rise the huge mountains by which 
the ice stream is augmented: Monte Rosa — Queen of the Alps — 
with her coronet of peaks ; the wedge-like mass of the Lyskamm ; the 
Snowy Twins (Castor and Pollux) ; and the long, craggy ridge of the 
white-capped Breithorn. Then comes a break, as the eye sweeps over 




GRANDFATHER HOUGHTON. 




:_;:^g 



A SWISS MOUNTAIN TORRENT. 



ANNETTE'S REVENGE. 



27 



the plateau traversed by the well-known Theodule Pass, to rest on the 
grandest sight in all the Alps, the marvellous Matterhorn, seen ' 



in one 




AN ALPINE WATERFALL. 



of its most impressive aspects, — an obelisk of snow-flecked rock, four 
thousand feet in height. Beyond this comes another company of 
giants, the peaks from the Dent Blanche to the Weisshorn. There 



2 8 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

is no spot in the whole of the Alps, accessible with such ease, which 
commands a grander panoramic view ; nothing of the kind surpasses 
in grandeur and beauty its circle of peaks and glaciers.' 

" There, Margaret, have you followed me carefully, and found all 
the names mentioned on the outline ? " 

" Yes, grandpa." 

" Well, The Riffel is just the locality for me to take as my centre 
of operations. I am glad you have been thinking of the same 
place." 

" I really think some one ought to go with you and take care of 
you, father," said Mrs. Duffey. " Margaret is just the one. You can 
make a great many excursions together. She's a great walker." 

" I know it, I know it," exclaimed the old gentleman in high glee. 

" Margaret will have her hands full," said anxious Mrs. Houghton. 
"You are entirely too old, John, to go trampoozling over the moun- 
tains, when you might rest your bones comfortably at home." 

" Too old ! Look at the other members of the club! I'm an infant 
compared with the best travellers." 

"That is true," replied Margaret; "it is a most venerable assem- 
blage. When I look down upon it from the gallery, the bald heads 
have the appearance of white stones peeping up above water from a 
ford. I often imagine myself skipping from one to the other, across 
the entire length of the hall." 

"You dreadful child! Is there no Prophet Elisha, to call down a 
troop of bears, to punish such irreverence ? " 

" No, grandpa ; and the bears are too busy, down in Wall Street, 
to care for naughty me. But listen while we tell you why I have 
decided to go to Switzerland this summer." 

" I did not know you had decided," said Mr. Duffey. " I thought 
it was to be submitted to your Grandfather Houghton ; and I am sure 
he will disapprove." 

But Judge Houghton, influenced, possibly, to some extent, by his 



ANNETTE'S REVENGE. 29 

own desire to avail himself of so lively a travelling companion, looked 
on the scheme with favor. 

"We need not commit ourselves to anything," he said. "We can 
simply find out, or try to find out, the truth. The first thing to do is 
to ascertain what Annette really knows. Have you made it up with 
her, Margaret ? " 

" I am afraid not, grandpa. This miserable business has taught 
me to try to keep a tighter rein on my temper. I went to her, after 
Saint had labored with her, and apologized ; but she would not utter 
one syllable. I am afraid she will not help us." 

" We will see," said the Judge. " I'll dine with you to-morrow. 
Let me deal with her." 

" But will she remain ? " asked Margaret. " She only promised 
Saint to stay until she had spoken with you, mamma." 

" I have given her no opportunity to speak with me, as yet," said 
Mrs. Duffey. " I think we can manage an interview." 

Annette, after her white heat of passion had subsided, was not 
anxious to lose her good situation ; but her decision that she would 
not to carry into effect her threat of leaving the family, did not argue 
any forgiveness of Margaret. On the contrary, she was convinced 
that she could better revenge herself by remaining near her, and that 
neither the pincers of the Inquisition, nor any amount of kindness, 
would either wrest or coax from her the information which was so 
much desired. 

It will therefore be readily understood that Judge Houghton, with 
all his legal wile and acumen, had a difficult subject to handle. 

He began in a conciliatory way, and assumed that Annette would 
gladly assist them, for a little compensation. 

" You are a good girl, Annette," he remarked ; " and I understand 
that you send back a very large proportion of your earnings to your 
family in Switzerland. You are doubtless very fond of them. When 
do you propose to go back for a visit." 



3° 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



Annette answered, very truly, that, much as she desired this, she 
was too poor to think of even a steerage passage. 

" Ah ! " exclaimed the delighted strategist. " Then you will be 
pleased to learn that I contemplate taking a trip to Switzerland, with 
my granddaughter, this summer, and I would be very glad to engage 
your services as her maid. All expenses paid, my good Annette, both 
going and returning, and a vacation for you, after we are fairly 
installed in some pleasant hotel, — a vacation of several weeks, in 
which you can visit your family. How would you like that ? " 

Annette's eyes shot forth a momentary gleam of pleasure, but a 
cold gray sheath of suspicion was instantly drawn over them. 

" And in return ? " she asked. 

" Oh ! In return, you could render my granddaughter any trifling 
services she might require, as lady's maid and companion. You know 
the language, and the country, the best routes, the regular fares, and 
all that sort of thing. You could be of great service to us in enabling 
us to dispense with a courier. And then, another thing, — my grand- 
daughter's main object in visiting Switzerland is to look up her father's 
family. Perhaps you could help us in discovering them." 

" Perhaps ? But certainly I could help you, — if I wished. Is that 
one of the trifling services of which you spoke, to be included in my 
duties as lady's maid ? " 

" No, no. That, of course, should have special compensation. If 
you enable us to discover Margaret's great-aunt, I will pay the pas- 
sage of any two of your own relatives who may want to emigrate to 
America. Come, now ; isn't that generous ? " 

" It is sufficiently generous." 

" Then it's a bargain ? " 

" No, sir." 

" What conditions do you ask ? " 

" I will not do it on any conditions." 

" Indeed ! Highty-tighty, young woman, better think that over 



ANNETTE'S REVENGE. 



31 



again. Do you know I can make you give me this information? 
Perhaps you would prefer being „ committed to prison, to this tour of 
which we have just been speaking ? " 

" No one can compel me to speak ; and I can keep my own 
counsel." 

" But this isn't your own counsel. That's the point. You have, 
or pretend to have, valuable . knowledge." 

" I have it." 

" Very well. You have information valu- 
able to my client, which you refuse to render. 
It is hers by right of law ; and the law takes 
you in hand in the same way as if you were 
withholding other valuables from her. Now, 
what are you going to do about it ? Don't be 
a fool, Annette. Consider your own interests. 
Do you want to go to prison, or do you want 
to go to Switzerland ? Answer me that." 

Annette was a coward. She did not doubt 
Judge Houghton's power to imprison her for 
life ; and she was just about to surrender, 
when Margaret entered the library, and Judge 
Houghton repeated the alternatives, as he had 
set them before the girl. 

" No, Annette," Margaret exclaimed impulsively. " I will not allow 
you to be prosecuted, even if you insist on keeping this secret from 
me ; but I beg of you to be magnanimous, and to help me find my 
aunt. Think how you would feel under the same circumstances." 

Annette looked up. Apparently, she was regarding the stuffed owl 
on the top of the bookcase ; in reality, she was studying Margaret 
with intense malice. 

" How do you know that you will thank me, when you have found 
her? She may not be the grand lady you expect." 




DO YOU WANT TO GO TO 
PRISON OR TO SWITZER- 
LAND?" 



^ 2 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

" Then, so much the more is it a sacred duty on my part. Annette, 
I shall never blame you, whatever be the result." 

" Suppose she is dead, or moved away, so that I cannot find her? " 

" I shall not blame you for that, either." 

" Then I call you and Judge Houghton to witness that you bring 
it all on yourself ; that I did not want to undertake this business, but 
that, between you, you make me do it." 

Annette did not yield from any magnanimity. She had no faith 
in Margaret's assurance that she would not be imprisoned if she 
persisted in her refusal. Moreover, she had really decided not to aid 
in the discovery ; but apparent yielding would extricate her from her 
present disagreeable position, and give her time to think of some 
mode of evading the issue. 

So, while Margaret thanked and praised her effusively, she main- 
tained a stony silence, still simulating an intense interest in the 
stuffed owl. 

" And now," said Judge Houghton, " that these preliminaries have 
been satisfactorily settled, let us proceed to the real matter in hand. 
Will you be so good as to tell us, Annette, all that you know of my 
granddaughter's great-aunt? In the first place, how did you happen 
to know my granddaughter's relative ? " 

Annette related the circumstances of her engagement as maid. 

" And what was the lady's name ? " 

Margaret bent forward eagerly. The hated name of Duffey was 
about to be lifted. Annette saw the intense expectation, and she 
could not satisfy it at that moment, if her life had depended upon it. 

"No," she exclaimed, a hysterical sob rising in her throat; "not 
now, not now. I have told enough, I have endured enough. I have 
promised to help you find her ; but it must be in my own way. Let me 
go. I can stand no more." And turning abruptly, she left the room. 

Judge Houghton looked after her in astonishment, "Well, this is 
a most extraordinary young person ! " he exclaimed. 






ANNETTE'S REVENGE. 



33 



" Annette is peculiar," Margaret answered. " You have gained a 
great concession ; and it will not do to press her too far. Let her 
take her own way, and we shall lose nothing by it." 

. But in her own room Annette was going through another of her 
rages. " I never shall tell her, never ! If it were Miss Boylston, yes ; 
but Miss Margaret ! I will go to prison first. She thinks, now, that 
her aunt may be poor and mean. Let her torment herself with that 
idea. If she only were a beggar, or a cretin ! She says that she 
would accept her, whatever her condition. I would like to see her 
put to the test. What would my lady do if she should find that her 
relatives were of the peasant class ? Her aunt an old crone like my 
grandmother, living in a den like our chalet? She thinks that she 
would accept the situation, would not be ashamed of her relations, and 
would bring the old aunt back with her to America. She would do 
nothing of the kind. I would ask no sweeter revenge than to see her 
look of horror on making a discovery like that." 

Annette paused in her monologue. An electrifying idea had sud- 
denly struck her, and she stood transfixed, then clapped her hands 
three times over her head, and laughed like a mad woman. She had 
found her revenge. 



34 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



CHAPTER III. 

GENEVA. 

•• Within the Switzer's varied land, 
When summer chases high the snow, 
You'll meet with many a youthful band 
Of strangers wandering to and fro ; 
Through hamlet, town, and healing bath, 
They haste, and rest as chance may call. 
No day without its mountain path, 
No path without its waterfall." 

Lord Houghton. 

ALL were surprised, the next day, to see Annette of her own 
accord ask for another interview, and to hear her volunteer 
the most helpful information. She said that Margaret's great- 
aunt was known in Zermatt by the name of Madame Lochwalder; but 
she, Annette, pretended to suspect that this was an assumed name. 
Her real one she professed not to know. She felt sure that she was 
still living at Zermatt, for her uncle had mentioned in his last letter 
that Madame Lochwalder had bought his mountain chalet, to be fitted 
up as her summer residence, and had engaged him as her head 
dairyman. 

A letter was at once dispatched, informing Madame Lochwalder 
of her new relatives. 

Annette tried her best to get possession of this letter ; but Mar- 
garet carried it to the post-office and mailed it with her own hands, 
and all Annette could do was to write a letter of explanation, which 
she sent by the same mail to her uncle, who was really the son of 
Madame Lochwalder. 



GENEVA. 35 

" I have ascertained," she wrote, " that my employer is the son of 
your Unele Jacob, who ran away to America so long ago. They have 
grand notions that Jacob was a nobleman in disguise, which will all 
be disappointed when they come to see you, with me, as they intend 
to do. They are wealthy people ; and, though they will drop you all, 
as if you were hot coals, when they see how poor you are, still they 
will doubtless leave us the richer for their visit, if only to bribe us not 
to follow them to America, and disgrace them by proclaiming our 
relationship. Much can be gained from them, if we only manage well 
our opportunities. I enclose an answer to a letter which grandmother 
will receive from these people. I have written as I thought was best. 
It is well that grandmother cannot write, or she would spoil everything 
with her goodness of heart. Leave the matter to me. She must not 
expect any real kindness from these new relatives ; they will despise 
us, and be ashamed of us." 

It had first occurred to Annette to tell her uncle the truth, and 
admit that she was playing a clever deception for their own benefit ; 
but on reflection she was sure that her family were too honest to join 
her in such a plot, and that even if they had been so unprincipled as 
to be willing to play their parts, they would be more naturally carried 
out, and with less risk of detection, if they really believed in the 
relationship. Madame Lochwalder, it happened, had a brother who 
had emigrated long before this to America, and this circumstance 
aided in carrying out her scheme. 

The letter which she had enclosed in her own, and had sent to 
Switzerland, came back to Margaret in due time. 

It read as follows : — 

" Zermatt, April. 

" My Dear Grand-Niece, — I am rejoiced to find you, after, all 
these years. I have long felt that my brother must have died, since I 
no longer heard from him. It is strange that his son did not receive 
my letters. I am glad that you are coming to Switzerland. You will 



36 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

find your relatives glad to- welcome you. Perhaps we shall induce 
you to remain with us. I long ago decided that if I could ever dis- 
cover my brother's descendants I would share with them my earthly 
possessions while I live, and leave them my little estate when I die. 
I am an old woman, and cannot live many years longer. I trust you 
will come very soon, to 

" Your affectionate aunt, 

" Margaret Lochwalder." 

This letter decided them all, or would have decided them, if there 
had been any hesitation about the journey to Switzerland. 

From this time forward everything favored the trip. Cecilia Boyl- 
ston, a former Vassar girl, who had studied music in Germany after 
her graduation, and had taught in Boston since her return, had 
decided, previously to the events just related, to attend the Wagnerian 
festival to be celebrated that summer at Baireuth. She was readily 
persuaded that to go via Switzerland was really the most direct route, 
and gladly joined the party. Grandpa Houghton renewed his youth, 
and laid in a small library of Alpine literature to be read during the 
voyage, including all the guide-books on Switzerland, from Wagner to 
Murray, and accounts of the travels of noted mountaineers. (As these 
were principally in German, he trusted to having them translated by 
Margaret.) Several volumes of the Alpine Journal with the doings of 
the English Alpine Club, Mr. Whymper's account of his long-con- 
tinued siege of the Matterhorn, Professor Tyndall's " Scrambles," 
Agassiz for geology, and Ruskin for art, with many other books, were 
added to the collection. 

Besides the library, he purchased a large stock of articles likely to 
serve him in the Alps. No prospective bride ever enjoyed the shop- 
ping necessary for the preparation of her trousseau more than Judge 
Houghton the buying of his mountain outfit. There was a Kodak 
camera and other photographing appliances, an Arctic sleeping-bag, a 



GENEVA. 



37 



spirit-lamp, and (though he was politically and practically a prohibi- 
tionist) a flask of spirits, a rifle for shooting chamois, remedies for 
chilblains, blue-glass spectacles against snow glare, and ice-spurs to 
steady his footsteps. That he did not make himself as ridiculous an 
object as Daudet's Tartarin, was simply owing to the fact that he 
proposed purchasing his alpenstock, pickaxe, rope, lantern, etc., in 
Geneva. The books were packed in 
a steamer trunk and slipped under 
Judge Houghton's berth, for ready 
reference ; but stormy weather kept 
him uncomfortable, and the trunk 
was not once opened during the 
voyage. 

Grandma Houghton, relying on 
Margaret's care, awoke to a mild in- 
terest in the expedition, and knitted 
her husband a pair of very warm 
mittens. She also sent his overcoat 
to the tailor's, to be faced with 
fur; exhumed from the camphor- 
chest an ancient cap with ear-tabs, 
and packed away his gentlemanly 
beaver, lest, if he had it with him, 
he might be tempted to wear it in 
ascending Mont Blanc. The result 
of this wifely care was that Judge 

Houghton wore his mountain cap on a warm Sunday in Paris, and 
was the observed of all observers. 

The party made a brief visit in Paris, but, on a bright day in early 
June, left the city by the Orleans Railroad, via Dijon and Macon, for 
Geneva. Margaret found this city disappointing, but Lake Leman, or 
as it is more often called, the Lake of Geneva, was very beautiful. 




GRANDFATHER HOUGHTON IN AL- 
PINE COSTUME. 



38 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

" It was Goethe who first said that lakes are the eyes of the landscape ; 1 
and as our glance, perusing the living traits of a man, is never satisfied 
till it reaches his eye, so, on the earth, we seek after water, and are 
not quite content till our attention, long vagrant, rests in peace upon 
it." Lake Leman is the largest of the Swiss lakes. It has been said 
of it that, though it lacks the grandeur and sublimity of Lucerne and 
Thun, and the marvellous color of the Italian lakes, for bright, laugh- 
ing beauty it is pre-eminent. 

Margaret would gladly have taken the train for the south of Switz- 
erland, but while they were in this region her grandfather insisted • 
on making the tour of the lake, and, before doing this, in going through 
the city in true traveller's style. It would make a paragraph for his 
proposed lecture in Chickering Hall ; and Margaret found, during the 
summer, that much was to be sacrificed for this famous lecture. 

She went patiently with him as he made his visits to the watch 
manufactories, and took copious notes for his lecture, both from actual 
observation and from printed authorities. She would read these aloud 
in the evening, and Judge Houghton would express his opinion. 

" Excellent, excellent ! " the old gentleman would comment, after 
such a reading. * ^'That is just what the members of the Geographical 
Society- will want to hear. Copy it neatly for me, my dear. I only., 
wish I had brought my typewriter." 

Their first view of Mont Blanc was obtained at Geneva, with the 
lake in the foreground. " How delightful it will be to make the 
ascent ! " Judge Houghton remarked cheerfully. "It does not look 
nearly as difficult as I imagined." 

But when he took Turner's " Liber Studiorum " from his steamer- 
trunk that evening, and studied the etching of the Mer de Glace, in 
which the savage character of the glacier is greatly exaggerated, and 
the great causeway is represented as a chaos of jagged splinters, he 
shook his head doubtfully, and hoped there was some easier way. 
His assurance increased as he bought his alpenstock the next day. 




Wm 



^HfPii 




"MER DE GLACE," MONT BLANC. 



GENEVA. 



41 



It was topped with a chamois' horn, and pointed with a sharp iron 
ferrule. " We will have the names of the mountains you have 
ascended branded on the staff free of charge, on your return from 
your tour," the tradesman kindly offered. 

Judge Houghton reflected a moment " We are not certain to 
come back this way," he said. " I think it would do just as well to 
mark the names of the peaks I intend to 
ascend, now." 

" As you please, sir. What mountains do 
you wish ? The Rigi, I presume. That is 
quite easy to climb. And the Brunig." 

" Certainly, certainly. But I want some 
of the celebrated peaks too, — the Jungfrau, 
and Mont Blanc, and the Matterhorn." 

" Those are rather difficult to ascend," 
the tradesman replied with a smile. 

" ' What man has done man can do,' " 
Judge Houghton remarked cheerfully and 
confidently, with refreshing ignorance of 
what he was attempting. 

At the Museum of Natural History the 
stuffed chamois excited his enthusiasm, and 
he inquired for the taxidermist who had 
mounted them. " I shall send him all the 
game I shoot," he remarked, as he made a 

note of the address. " I think I shall make a present of the collec- 
tion to the New York Museum of Natural History." 

" Suppose it should not prove to be a very large collection, 
grandpa?" Margaret suggested mischievously, but was glad that the 
old man did not hear her. It was at the Archaeological Museum, 
and while examining an ancient boat, one of the relics of the lacrus- 
tine period, that Margaret met another Vassar girl, Alice Newton, 




ALICE NEWTON. 



42 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



an old friend of Cecilia's, and now a missionary to Bulgaria. She had 
come to Switzerland to meet her mother, who had been recently left 
a widow, and, having no other near ties in America, had decided to 
join her missionary daughter, and aid her as a volunteer. 

Alice was delighted to meet Margaret, for Vassar is a pass-word 
among its alumnas. " I have been living for a week in Geneva with 

mother," she said. " I have a little va- 
cation, and I do not want to hurry her 
to Bulgaria. I shall return by way of 
the Danube. I hope our routes lie the 
same, way." 

" Unfortunately," said Margaret, "we 
travel in quite another direction." 

" But it happens very nicely for me," 
Cecilia explained, "since I must part 
from Margaret and the rest of the 
party when they turn southward. I 
shall be very glad to have you as a 
travelling companion. We can journey 
together as far as Bavaria." 

" And we are not going south im- 
mediately," Grandfather Houghton re- 
marked confidently. " It would be a 
shame to give less than a fortnight to 
this lovely lake and the interesting 
towns on its shores. So there is no 
need of talking about our ways separating, at present." 

Grandfather Houghton liked young girls. He enjoyed Cecilia's 
society, and Alice's calm, pfecid face had made a pleasant impression 
D upon him. " It's a pity that you are not at our hotel," he added. 
"There are plenty of people there, but no one that the girls seem to 
take to particularly. Though that pretty girl in the Hading veil 
strikes me as rather nice." 




THE GIRL IN THE HADING VEIL. 



GENEVA. 



43 



Margaret laughed merrily. " Grandpa is so impressionable," she 
explained. " The girl in the veil is pretty, but that is all there is to 
her, — and she has the most dreadful mother. They are Americans 
living abroad on their in- 
come. The father, I infer 
from the mother's interest 
in business, is no more." 

" How does the widow 
show her business facul- 
ty?" Alice asked. 

" She takes the Ameri- 
can papers and reads the 
stock quotations while she 
eats her breakfast, inter- 
rupting whatever conver- 
sation may be going on 
by such exclamations as 
' Calumet and Hecla's up ! 
ered muslin you wanted.' 




CALUMET AND HECLA. 



Now, Betty, you can buy that embroid- 
Or, ' The land ! Betty. Calumet and 
Hecla's down. I'm sorry I ordered that music-box.'" 

" You describe her very well," said the Judge. " She's something 
of a terror, but she's better than the men. She's American, at least, 
and I can understand her; but my Lord Highnose and I haven't a 
notion in common." 

"Is that a real name?" Alice asked, much amused. 

" Only a nickname that Margaret has given him. We thought he 
was an Englishman; for he is deplorably ignorant in regard to 
America, and seems to take a positive pride in displaying his igno- 
rance. He asked me, for instance, if Calumet and Hecla were two 
noted race-horses, or Mississippi steamers! And then it came out C 
that he hadn't the excuse of being an Englishman ; for he said that 
he had been absent from the States so long that he had rather lost t 



44 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN~ SWITZERLAND. 



the run of affairs. When I told him that Calumet and Hecla was a 
favorite kind of stock in the market, and that the lady was interested 
in Wall Street bulls, he said, ' Ah, yes ! a lady drover and cattle raiser. 

How very extraordinary ! ' I am glad 
that we are soon to see the last of 
these people." 

The girls assented, and Alice asked 
if there was really no one at their 
hotel who was more interesting. 

" Yes," replied the Judge ; " there 
is a young scientist, whom I rather 
like. He is on his way to make the 
ascension of the Jungfrau, and in- 
tends to scramble about in the Ober- 
land all summer. He's a Harvard 
student, and his name is Livingston 
Walker ; and — ' Speak of an angel ' 
— the young fellow is entering the 
Museum now. May I present him ? " 
The young man proved to be intelligent and courteous. Their 
conversation drifted to the work and fame of Professor Agrassiz. 

"I am glad to find," said Judge Houghton, "that at least one 
American scientist is recognized here in Europe. I have found his 
name several times in the Museum." 

" The Genevese would probably claim him as a Swiss scientist," 
the young man replied. " He was born at Motier, in the Canton de 
Vaud, not very far from us, and educated in Swiss and German uni- 
versities. You know his first work that attracted attention was on the 
fresh-water fishes of Europe; and I can imagine him as a boy an 
enthusiastic angler in the Swiss lakes. Later, he extended his re- 
searches to fossil fishes. He became Professor of Natural History at 
Neuchatel, on the lake of the same name, north of us. I have just 




LORD HIGHNOSE. 



GENEVA. 



45 



returned from a visit to the city. I found the museum rich with col- 
lections which he had named and classified, and the library, with 
learned treatises from his pen. Yes ; the Swiss can certainly claim 
him, though we have also the right to do so. At present, I am making 
an Agassiz pilgrimage, following his footsteps everywhere in Switzer- 
land. It is a labor of love, in every way, I assure you." 

" Quite an idea," exclaimed the enthusiastic Judge. " Let us, also, 
visit Neuchatel, and make an Agassiz pilgrimage." 

Margaret bit her lip. "As we return, grandpa, if you like ; but just 
now, please remember how impatient I am to reach Zermatt." 

" True, true," assented the old gentleman. " It will do just as well 
to go there when we come back. And meantime, I have his ' Re- 
searches on Glaciers' in my trunk, which you may read to me in the 
evening ; and perhaps I can bring a part of it 
into my lecture." 

" If you are interested in glaciers," said Mr. 
Walker, "we may possibly meet on the great 



Hacier of the Aar. 



I shall be making studies 



next month in the vicinity of Agassiz's cabin, 
which he jokingly called the Hotel Neucha- 
telois. I shall be happy if I can be of any 
service." 

Margaret bowed. She did not care to have 
her grandfather's interest drawn from Zermatt. ^. 
and she asked if the glaciers at the foot of the 
Matterhorn were not as accessible as those of 
the Aar. " More so," replied the young man ; 
" and Agassiz has mapped them. I mean to 
work around to that point before the end of 

the season ; and somewhere, I trust, I may have the pleasure of 
meeting you again." 

The wish was emphatically echoed by the Judge, and the young 




MR. WALKER. 



4 6 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



man withdrew, the others passing into the library founded by 
Bonnivard. 

" He was the true prisoner of Chillon," Alice said, "of whom Byron 
had not heard when he wrote his poem." 




THE HOTEL NEUCHATELOIS. 



" Bonnivard ? " remarked the Judge questioningly. " I don't quite 
recollect his history." 

" He was the Prior of St. Victor, you know," Alice replied. " He 
was a patriot, too, and greatly opposed to the usurpation of the Duke 
of Savoy ; and the duke had him carried to Chillon, and kept there 
as a prisoner for six years." 

"How did he ever get out?" 



GENEVA. 



47 



" In 1536, the people of Geneva assaulted the castle from the lake, 
and rescued him." 

" It seems to, me they took a long enough time to make up their 
minds to do it." This from Margaret. 

"That reminds me," said the Judge, "that we must certainly visit 
Chillon ; and I think it would be pleasanter to go by the lake. I 
wonder if there is not some pleasant little place at the other end of 
Lake Leman which we could make our headquarters, and then take 
excursions from it to Vevy, 



Clarens, and other interest- 
ing points." 

" Glion is just the spot," 
replied Alice. " Mamma and 
I are going there. The Pen- 
sion Victoria has been rec- 
ommended to us as a home- 
like, charming little hotel, 
situated on a commanding 
height, and giving one beau- 
tiful views in every direction." 

" A good place to practise mountain climbing, eh ! Then, to Glion 
let us all go. A few days more will suffice for Geneva; then fare- 
well to Calumet and Hecla." 

The morning of the next day Judge Houghton spent in looking up 
a music-box. He succeeded in finding a fine one, which played the 
air of a song by Grieg, beginning, — 

"The winter may perish, the spring pass away," 

which Cecilia sang charmingly, and which was a prime favorite with 
the Judge. 

After the music-box was purchased, it proved quite an elephant. 
Judge Houghton would not hear to its being packed in the trunk, and 




THE PRISONER OF CHILLON. 



48 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

left to the tender mercies of baggage-smashers ; and it was accordingly 
wrapped in Cecilia's water-proof, and carried by a shawl-strap. As 
they walked back to the hotel from the shop, a slight jar set the 
mechanism in motion ; and people whom they met or passed turned 
to wonder what was the source of the fairy music. Among these was 
Mr. Walker, who smilingly asked, " Is this the Banbury Cross lady, 
of whom it was said that ' she shall have music wherever she goes ' ? " 

" It is disagreeable, is it not, to be made so conspicuous ? " Margaret 
remarked, as Mr. Walker relieved her of the burden. 

" It is a familiar air," replied the young man, " and the words set to 
it are very beautiful." 

" I think them very sentimental," Margaret replied, with a toss of 
her head. " I thought, last night, while Cecilia was singing them with 
so much apparent feeling, that it was all great nonsense." 

" So," thought Mr. Walker, " our young lady is not the least bit 
romantic. Well, I like her all the better for it." 

The Judge, however, took up the cudgels in favor of the little love- 
song. " Mr. Walker must hear Cecilia sing it," he said. " Mrs. and 
Miss Newton are to dine with us this evening ; and after dinner, if no 
one else has taken possession of the little music-room, perhaps Mr. 
Walker will join us there, and we will have some music." 

Mr. Walker responded gratefully to the Judge's invitation, and 
fortune favored them, in providing some fireworks in the public gar- 
dens, to which the other guests of the hotel gave their countenance. 
The hotel parlors were deserted, and the Judge escorted Cecilia to the 
piano. 

From singing, they fell to chatting of the great names connected 
with Geneva, of Rousseau, of Voltaire, and Calvin. 

Mrs. Newton, who had a refined, serious face, a typical mother, as 
Margaret expressed it, was a clergyman's wife, who delighted in her 
daughter's work. She joined in the conversation enthusiastically and 
intelligently. 



GENEVA. 



49 



" There are many interesting lives that have been influenced by 
these mountains," she said ; " but to me, Calvin is far the strongest. 
You know he fled to Switzerland when he embraced Protestantism. 
It was from Basel that he wrote his famous preface to Francis I., 
which has been called one of the most memorable documents of the 
Reformation, ' from its intensity of feeling, its indignant remonstrance, 
and its pathetic and powerful eloquence.' " % 

" I wonder whether Calvin was really influenced by the ' mountain 
gloom,' of which Ruskin has so much to say," Cecilia remarked. 

" I think not," Alice replied ; " for his life in Switzerland was spent 
chiefly here in Geneva, where nature has a very cheerful aspect ; but 
he may well have drawn his dogmas in relation to ' Irresistible Grace ' 
and the eternal decrees of God from the irresistible onward sweep of 
the glaciers and the stability of the everlasting hills." 

" I am not drawn to Calvin as I am to Luther," Cecilia remarked 
musingly. " He seems to me the Torquemada of the Protestant 
Church." 

Judge Houghton began to fear that their missionary friends would 
prove rather heavy companions, but Alice considerately changed the 
subject. She had that valuable quality which we call tact, the power 
of adapting herself to her friends, and of making herself beloved by 
widely differing individuals. " What led you to be so greatly in- 
terested in Agassiz ? " she asked of Mr. Walker. " You are certainly 
too young to have been one of his pupils, even at Penikese." 

" It is the regret of my life that I came into the world too late to 
be his pupil," replied the young man. " But I had the privilege of 
studying his wonderful collection at Cambridge, and I feel that in that 
he has left me a rich personal legacy." 

" You are a geologist ? " 

" I am fond of the natural sciences, but they are only a luxury for 
me. My profession is to be that of a civil engineer ; and part of my 
business here in Switzerland is to study the passes and the railroad 



5o 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



engineering of the Alps, in the hope that I may some time improve 
upon them in our Rocky Mountains." 

The return of "Calumet and Hecla" from viewing the fireworks 
reminded Mrs. Newton of the lateness of the hour, and she and Alice 
took their leave, Mr. Walker escorting them to their pension. 

During the few days that they remained in Geneva, some playful 
chance was continually throwing the young people together. Did 
they walk in the gardens, Mr. Walker was sure to appear near the 
statue of Rousseau. At church, on Sabbath, the sexton oddly showed 
him into the pew behind them. In the photograph shops, Mr. Walker 
turned the portfolios. Did they take a drive, Mr. Walker cantered up 
beside them in the most off-hand manner. 

" This is getting monotonous," Margaret said to Cecilia, on their 
last evening in Geneva, as the waiter handed them Mr. Walker's card ; 
" but there is one comfort, there will be an entire change of dramatis 
personce at Glion." 

Mrs. Newton and Alice dropped in a little later, and the evening 
was one of the pleasantest which they had passed in Geneva. Was 
it the sense of coming relief which made Margaret more than usually 
gay and sparkling, and really courteous to the " Monotonous Walker " ? 
If so, she must have been a trifle nonplussed when he asked, as he 
took his leave, if he might be permitted to call on them at Glion, on 
his way to the Oberland ? The request was addressed to Margaret ; 
but apparently she did not hear it, and the Judge filled in the 
awkward pause with a profuse welcome, and Mrs. Newton, in response 
to a gentle pressure from Alice's hand, added a gracious assurance of 
favor. 



THE COUNTESS. 



51 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE COUNTESS. 

" Glion ? Ah, twenty years, it cuts 
All meaning from a name ! 
White houses prank where once were huts ; 
Glion, but not the same. 

"And yet I know not. All unchanged 
The turf, the pines, the sky ! 
The hills in their old order ranged ! 
The lake with Chillon by ! " 

Matthew Arnold. 

OUR travellers were enchanted with their first view of Glion, 
the picturesque villas and hotels gleaming on the green moun- 
tain side. A funicular railway carried the guests of the hotels 
up the steep slope to their destination; but the Judge preferred to 
begin his mountaineering by walking to the hotel, and Margaret ac- 
companied him, the rest mounting by rail. It was a longer walk than 
they had counted on, and the Judge's bandanna came out frequently 
to wipe his perspiring brow ; but the view was superb, and refreshed 
their spirits when they paused to rest. There was the Castle of 
Chillon at their feet, and the sapphire lake dimpling in the breeze, and 
necked with white sails, the nestling towns and villages on the shore — 
Montreux, Clarens, and Vevey — all plainly visible. In the direction 
of the Gorge of the Rhone, the Dent du Midi and the Alps of the 
Valais lifted white fingers of snow, as one traveller has so well said, 
" As though the hills themselves were holding up their hands in 
everlasting homage." 



52 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



Margaret stood afterwards before many scenes surpassing this in 
grandeur, but never felt herself more thrilled by pure beauty than 
now. The Judge was exhilarated, and as happy as a child. " If all 
Alpine climbing is as easy as this — ," he remarked; "but then, of 

course, it can't be." 

At a sudden turn 
they came upon a little 
old woman resting by 
the roadside. She was 
dressed plainly, but her 
garments were of rich 
material, and she was 
presided over by a ser- 
vant in livery, who held 
a parasol over her, and 
fanned her assiduously. 
" Enough, animal ! " 
she cried spitefully, in 
French. " You will give 
me the consumption, with 
such a current of air. 
You are worse than an 
Alpine hurricane, you 
blacksmith's bellows. 
Put away that fan, and hand me my lorgnette. Let me see what 
manner of creatures these are." 

The footman obediently folded the fan and handed his mistress 
her eye-glasses, and the little woman coolly submitted the Judge and 
Margaret to a broadside of scrutiny. " A grizzly bear," she remarked, 
still speaking in French ; " an American bear. I know the species. 
Hold, he has with him a little savagess. Their air is amiable. I will 
speak to them." And dropping her eye-glass and totally changing 




THE COUNTESS. 



THE COUNTESS. 53 

her manner, she addressed them in odd English, with a slightly foreign 
accent. 

" Make your father to be seated, my dear young lady. He has ze 
air to be fatigued. My servant will bring him a glass of water from 
ze cascade yonder. Animal, approach ze water." (This to the 
footman, who incontinently fled to execute the errand.) 

Margaret, who had heard and comprehended her soliloquy, would 
have declined her courtesy and proceeded; but Judge Houghton 
did not understand French, and, as he was really weary, eagerly 
availed himself of the proffered civilities, seating himself on the 
stone parapet beside the stranger, and mopping his glowing coun- 
tenance. 

" I am very glad to meet any one who speaks English, ma'am," he 
said, by way of keeping up the conversation ; for Margaret stood at a 
little distance, apparently absorbed in the view. 

" You are zen English ? " asked the lady. 

" American, ma'am ; American. Allow me to introduce myself. 
Judge Jonah Houghton of New York." He paused, but the lady did 
not respond to the introduction by giving her own name, and he 
continued, " Travelling with my granddaughter. You, I judge, are a 
foreigner, ma'am; though you speak English like a native." For the 
moment, Judge Houghton forgot that here in Europe he was the 
foreigner; but the lady understood him, and bowed politely, though 
an amused smile twitched her thin lips, while the Judge proceeded 
serenely, " It is really remarkable, but you are the first foreigner we've 
really met, — socially, I mean. I don't count storekeepers. Switzer- 
land seems to be full of Americans. At least, the hotels are. Margaret 
and I are sick of them. Americans are all very well in America ; but 
one can see plenty of them at home ; one doesn't come abroad to see 
them. I mean no disparagement of my own country people when I 
say it. They may be a great deal more enlightened than foreigners ; 
but when we come abroad we come to study foreigners, their ways and 



54 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



their manners, even if they are not up to our own, and that is why I 
am so glad to make your acquaintance, ma'am." 

Margaret felt that the conversation needed interruption, and, step- 
ping forward, remarked on the beauty of the view. " It is lufly, very 
lufly," said the lady. "I know it well; for I have been here before. 
Eighteen years ago since I was in Switzerland. You can well com- 
prehend zat it has changed. Zere was no funicular railway zen. 
We rode to ze top in ze omnibus, or we walked. I always walked. 
So, to revive ze old time, I have walked to-day. But alas ! I have 

changed also. I am not so spry as 
once. Better I had gone in ze wagon 
of ze train, with Lajos, for it has proved 
a great waste of perspiration. Come, 
Konrad. I have reposed myself, and 
I will not make zese kind people to 
wait longer. En route / " 

The footman gave her his arm, and 
they all walked on together. It seemed 
odd to Margaret to hear her address 
the servant as Konrad; she had called 
him " animal " so often, that it almost 
seemed that this must be his Christian 




LAJOS. 



name. 



But though violent of temper, this strange old woman was not 
uninteresting, and Margaret admired her intelligence. She quoted 
from Rousseau, and Byron's lines on Clarens, as the Judge pointed 
out the town. 

" Have you anyzing so beautiful as zat by an American writer ? " 
she asked. 

" I think Aldrich's ' Alpine Picture ' more beautiful," Margaret 
replied. And, as the lady knew of neither the poet nor the poem, she 
repeated it for her. 



THE COUNTESS. 55 

" Stand here and look, and softly hold your breath, 
Lest the vast avalanche come crashing down ! 
How many miles away is yonder town, 
Set flower-wise in the valley ? Far beneath, 
A scimitar half drawn from out its sheath, 
The river curves through meadows newly mown. 
The ancient water-courses all are strown 
With drifts of snow, fantastic wreath on wreath. 
And peak on peak against the turquoise blue, 
The Alps like towering campanilis stand, 
Wondrous, with pinnacles of frozen rain, 
Silvery, crystal, like the prism in hue. 
O tell me, love, if this be Switzerland, 
Or is it but the frost-work on the pane?" 



The little woman listened attentively, and then remarked half to 
herself, " You are fond of poetry. Ah ! yes ; you are at ze romantic 
period. You have perhaps eighteen years. It must be passed through. 
It does not always make harm. I am not of zose who would repress 
it. One might as well try to repress ze chicken-pox. It can be 
done, but it. is bad for ze liver; and when ze eruption of poetry is 
driven in, it is bad for ze heart. Much better you go through wiz 
zese infantile diseases at ze proper time. Lajos has never had ze 
measles. I tremble for him if he should contract zem now. He has 
never had a romance in his youth. Zink of the virulence wiz which 
it may attack him in his manhood. You see, my dear, Lajos is my 
nephew; zat is, not my true nephew. He is ze nephew to my 
husband, who is dead. We are all zere is to each other. He is so 
devoted to me, he will do anyzing I ask of him. He would have 
climbed ze mountain wiz me ; but I said, ' Lajos, you have had 
enough of mountains.' He joined the Russian army, and went over 
ze Balkans with General Skobeleff. He was wounded in ze leg, 
and nursed in a hospital of ze Red Cross, by some Americans. 
I have felt kindly to Americans ever since. But all ze same, he 



56 » THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

cannot walk well, or dance. It is hard for him. He has changed 
since zat campaign. He is not ze same lively, gay of heart boy as 
once." 

By the time that they had climbed the mountain and reached the 
hotel, they all felt very well acquainted. 

" I shall see you again, my dear," said the little woman as they 
separated at the door, and she took the arm of a hollow-cheeked, grave 
man, with an immense mustache. It was difficult to imagine that this 
was her " boy " Lajos ; but he led the strange little lady toward Alice, 
saying as he did so, " I wish, my aunt, to present you to Mrs. Newton, 
and to Miss Newton, to whose kind care while in the hospital I believe 
I owe my life." 

" He is the Count Krajova," Alice explained afterwards. " He was 
taken prisoner by the Turks toward the last of the war, spared on 
account of his high rank, and sent to Lady Strangford's hospital, where 
I was assisting. I helped nurse him until the Russians took Kezanlik, 
when he was transferred to the Red Cross hospital. He recognized 
me in the cars as we rode up, and came over to see us at once, and 
inquired for the mission and the girls' school, of which I had told him 
when he asked how it happened that an American girl had drifted so 
far from home." 

"I remember your writing about him," said Mrs. Newton. 

" Did I mention him ? " Alice asked. " That is odd, for he was 
with us only a short time ; but he was very gentlemanly. He was more 
than that, he was heroic in his patient endurance." 

" At last," said Judge Houghton, as he inscribed his name in the 
hotel register, and tried in vain to make out those of the Austrians 
which preceded it, " at last we have escaped from our co-patriots." 
But as he spoke, a girlish voice from the. reading-room exclaimed in 
triumph, " Ma, Ma ; we can stay in Switzerland all summer. Calumet 
and _Hecla is up! " 

The Judge started. " They are some American ladies," said the 



THE COUNTESS. 



57 



clerk, " who arrived to-day from Geneva. They came by rail. Would 
you like to meet them ? " 

" Far be it from me," replied the Judge ; and he impressed on the 
mind of the clerk their especial desire during their stay to avoid the 
society of all Americans. 

" I'll do the best I can, sir," replied the obliging clerk; "but we are 
quite overrun with them this summer." 

The Judge was weary, and retired early; but as the girls sat by 
their open window looking down at the rakish lateen sails of the 
fishing craft on the lake, a maid 
appeared, dressed in the pretty 
costume of the country, and 
bringing an invitation from the 
Countess Krajova inviting the 
American party to drive with 
her to Vevey the next day. 

The invitation was accepted, 
and the party made the excur- 
sion in two carriages. 

It was a* day to be marked 
with a white stone, as nearly all 
days are in the beautiful Pays 
de Vaud. They drove through 

the lovely town of Montreux, through woods and vineyards, over 
streams and along the borders of the lake, catching glimpses of the 
Plejaden, the Moleson, and the Cubli mountains, with new combi- 
nations of the familiar Dent de Jaman and Dent du Midi. 

" It is one pity it is not ze autumn," said the countess ; " for zen we 
could see ze Fete of ze Abbaye des Vignerons." 

" What is that ? " asked the Judge. " Some church festival ? " 

" On ze contrarie," replied the lady, "it is one survive of ze Pagan- 
ism celebrate by ze vine-dresser in honor of Bacchus. It is now 




"calumet and hecla is up! 



58 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IJV SWITZERLAND. 



twenty years zat I have not seen it. Such so great pleasure ! It 
was worth to be one Pagan. Ze town was so full of ze spectator 
from effery country of Europe zat it was unpossible zere could come 
more. Ze window, ze balcony, ze roof, even ze tree, was rent for a 
price to preak ze heart. Only ze American could afford ze best place. 
Ze aristocracy of Europe content himself to view zat processions from 

ze barn, from ze wagon of hay. I have 
accommodate myself, wiz ze Countess 
Esterhazy, on ze roof of a smissy 
[smithy]. We could not else. We 
were bake by ze sun, and robe was 
decorate wiz ze tar and ze cinder, — 
but all zat signify to us nossing, we 
have excellent view to ze procession." 
" They will manage it better this 
year, aunt," said Lajos. " Parisian art- 
ists are designing the tableaux, which 
are to be superb ; and the public will 
be provided for more commodiously." 
" It cannot be more beautiful as 
then," said the countess. " Do you 
know if ze Goddess of Spring shall 
be ze same pretty peasant girl of 
Clarens who took ze part when I was 
here ? Ze Prince of Metternich made her a present of a pracelet 
of diamond." 

" Your peasant beauty must be a buxom dame by this time, aunt. 
You forget the changes that Time works." 

" Ah ! malicious one ; it is true. You could not believe I was 
beautiful also. I wore a green satin pelisse ; and my friend Margaret 
du Fais, one of pink, garnished wiz ze down of swan. We were ze 
toast of ze gentlemen ; and she is dead, ze beloved one." 




PEASANT WAITRESS. 




THE DENT DU MIDI FROM ABOVE THE LAKE OF GENEVA. 



THE COUNTESS. 6 1 

" But the spectacle, aunt," said Lajos, anxious to lead her thoughts 
from sad personal recollections. 

" Ah ! ze spectacle was magnifique. I can see it all. First ze 
train of ze Goddess of Spring; ze gardeners and gardeneresses wiz 
zare tools, ze shepherd and shepherdesses wiz zare sheeps, ze herds- 
men wiz zare catties, all shouting ze Ranz des vaches. Oh ! it was 
heavenly beautiful ! And ze Goddess of Summer, in a wagon orna- 
mented of corns. Zen come some children carrying a cage of bees, 
singing alouds. And ze laborer of autumn ; ze haymakers wiz zare 
pitchforks, ze mowers wiz scys, ze gleaners wiz sheafs, and ze vintagers 
wiz ze cluster of grape, ze faun, ze Bacchante, and ze people mytholo- 
gique, dressed in skin of leopard and garlands, dancing wiz great 
leaps. Ze pipes, ze flutes, ze kettledrum, ze fiddle, making music 
forte fortissimo ! " 

The countess' description was so spirited that the volatile Judge 
was greatly interested. " Let us remain until the fete," he exclaimed, 
forgetful of all other plans. 

" Rather, let us try to meet here again in the autumn," suggested 
Lajos. 

" Excellent, excellent," said the countess. " It is fully three months 
until ze time of ze fete. One could not exist at Glion so long. It 
would be a century of ennui." 

"And even if it were the most interesting place in the world," 
added Margaret, " we would all be very tired of one another." 

"You would all weary of me," replied the countess; "but Lajos is 
an angel. If it were not so he could not have borne wiz me all zese 
years." It was plainly to be seen that the young man was her idol, 
and that she desired to have him admired by all, and especially by 
Margaret, to whom she seemed to have taken a strong liking. Mar- 
garet was gratified by her attentions ; for she recognized the com- 
pliment which they implied, coming as they did from a lady of 
rank, and Margaret was not insensible to social distinction ; but she 



62 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

did not reciprocate the affection offered her, for, in spite of her 
freakish kindness to Margaret and her doting fondness for her nephew, 
the countess was not an amiable woman. She did not scruple to fly 
into a rage over very little matters with her domestics, and to berate 
them in what seemed to Margaret a very unladylike manner. On 
unpacking the lunch hamper for their picnic on the border of the 
lake, it was discovered that one of the Bohemian glass decanters was 
broken, and the angry countess did not hesitate to give the unoffend- 
ing maid who informed her of the fact a smart slap on the face. 
Lajos presently gave the girl a fee; but the revengeful look did not 
die out with the gift, and though the countess chatted merrily as 
though nothing unusual had happened, a restraint seemed to have 
fallen upon the spirits of the party. 

When the wine was passed, and the girls declined it, the countess 
seemed to think that they did so because they feared that, one bottle 
having been broken, there would not be a sufficient quantity for all. 

It was with great difficulty that Margaret explained to her that 
American girls did not drink wine. 

" So ! " she exclaimed. " But you, Miss Newton, you have in 
Europe been long enough to learn our customs." When Alice, also, 
resolutely begged to be excused, the countess exclaimed spitefully, 
" You are one leetle frog ! " 

They drove back to the hotel by a different route, with the sunset 
flushing the lake. Lajos, who rode with the young ladies, trolled 
German student songs in a rich baritone voice, and the young ladies 
responded with Vassar glees. " If one might ride and sing forever," 
said the young man in an impersonal manner, but directing his gaze 
at Alice. " But, alas, my aunt leaves Glion soon, for Austria, and I 
must accompany her." The words did not compromise him, but the 
tone said, " I am bound hand and foot to that woman ; and no one 
knows what slavery it is." 

The next day was the Sabbath, and the Americans attended service 
at the little church of Montreux. 



THE COUNTESS. 63 

" ' I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,' " Cecilia said softly, as 
they came out of the church door, and saw the beautiful Dent du 
Midi gleaming white in the distance. Lajos was on the terrace, wait- 
ing to walk home with them, and apparently not minding the climb 
at all. 

" What a wonderful country this beautiful Pays de Vaud is ! " Alice 
remarked softly. " I do not wonder that Agassiz grew near to Nature's 
heart here. Do you remember Longfellow's poem to him on his 
fiftieth birthday ? I forgot to ask Mr. Walker if he was familiar with 
it; but of course he is." 

" Can you repeat it ? " Margaret asked ; and as they climbed the 
hill together, Margaret repeated, — 

" It was fifty years ago, 

In the pleasant month of May, 
In the beautiful Pays du Vaud, 
A child in its cradle lay. 

" And Nature, the old nurse, took 
The child upon her keee, 
Saying, ' Here is a story book 
Thy Father has written for thee. 

" ' Come, wander with me,' she said, 
' Into regions yet untrod, 
And read what is still unread 
In the manuscripts of God.' 

" And he wandered away and away, 
With Nature, the dear old nurse, 
Who sang to him every day 
The rhymes of the universe. 

" And whenever the way seemed long, 
Or his heart began to fail, 
She would sing a more wonderful song, 
Or tell a more marvellous tale. 



64 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

" And at times he hears in his dreams 
The Ranz des Vaches of old, 
And the rush of mountain streams 
From glaciers clear and cold. 

" And the mother at home says, ' Hark, 
For his voice I listen and yearn; 
It is growing late and dark, 

And my boy does not return.' " 

" It is indeed beautiful," said Lajos. " And you say that this was 
written to a Swiss scientist by your great poet Longfellow ? But who 
is the Mr. Walker of whom you just spoke ? " 

" He is a young engineer whom we met in Geneva," Alice replied. 
" He has come to Switzerland to study the passes ; but he is also 
much interested in Agassiz." 

"Napoleon was the great engineer of Switzerland," Lajos as- 
serted. " He should study the campaigns of Napoleon. I have 
myself studied engineering. That was a heavy bit of it we did in 
crossing the Balkans. I consider Prince TsertelefT one of our greatest 
military engineers. I helped him make the Hainkoi Pass practicable. 
Alas ! there is no more military engineering for me." And he leaned 
heavily on his cane. 

" I would like, however, to meet this friend of yours, and talk over 
engineering with him. I used to think of following up Napoleon's 
military works in the Alps, and making a thorough study of them ; 
but I fear I shall never do even that." 

" Mr. Walker may come to Glion," Alice replied ; " and if so, I have 
no doubt that he will consider it a privilege to meet you. It is very 
kind of you to propose it. I am sure he deserves your interest." 

Both Lajos and Margaret regarded Alice keenly, and each won- 
dered how far she might be interested in the career of this young 
engineer; but Alice, utterly unconscious of their thought, and with 
nothing but simple friendship in her heart for Mr. Walker, continued 



THE COUNTESS. 



65 



the conversation. " Could you not go over most of the passes in a 
carriage ? " she asked. 

" The Simplon, certainly," he replied ; " and doubtless the others. 
But one could not study them to the best advantage in that way ; and 
I wanted to write an exhaustive work on the subject." 

" Perhaps Mr. Walker could aid you in your observations, and 
enable you to carry out your plan. He may be able to be really 
useful to you; and if so, I shall be 
very glad." 

" At all events, let me know when 
he appears," said Lajos. 

That evening Konrad appeared with 
another invitation from Madame. This 
time it was for a social game of cards. 
The girls looked at each other in 
dismay. 

" Tell her," said Margaret, impul- 
sively, " that we don't play cards Sun- 
day night." 

" Wait a moment, dear," said Alice. 
" As mamma is our chaperoite, would it 
not be better for her to send a note of 
explanation ? " 

This was accordingly done, the countess immediately deferring the 
party until the next evening. 

She was enthroned in a high-backed chair as they entered, indus- 
triously reading from a French novel ; but she dropped the book, and 
greeted them vivaciously. 

" We will play Lansquenet," she said ; " for so we shall not limit 
ourself at four." And she led the way to a table on which she had 
already distributed the cards. Margaret was thunderstruck to see a 
roll of silver pieces at each place. 




THE COUNTESS ENTHRONED. 



66 THREE VASSAR GIRLS /AT SWITZERLAND. 

" We are not to play for money ! " she exclaimed. " I thought that 
was against the law." 

" It is against the law to keep a public gambling house," Lajos 
explained ; " but the police do not trouble themselves with an innocent 
little amusement like this. We never play for high stakes, and it adds 
a zest to the game." 

" But we never play for money in America," Alice replied, laying 
down her cards. 

" Avaricious one ! " exclaimed the countess ; " do you not see zat I 
have provide ze silver? You lose nossing. On contrary, you shall 
keep your gains." 

" It is not that," Alice explained bravely. " It is the principle of 
the thing. We think it wrong." 

The countess flushed angrily. " Bigote ! " she exclaimed, turning 
abruptly from the table, and flouncing out of the room. Alice's eyes 
shone suspiciously, and Lajos gave her a quick glance of sympathy, 
but refrained from speaking to her, for he saw that a word now would 
unloose the tears. He rose at once, and, begging that they might be 
favored with some music, escorted Cecilia to the piano ; and Cecilia 
played a merrier selection than was her wont, a Hungarian dance of 
Rubenstein's. The countess heard it, in the depths of her boudoir. 
It was one of her favorites, and she could not resist its contagion. 
She flew in, all animation, exclaiming, " We dance, we dance," and, 
catching Margaret about the waist, spun her around the room until 
she was breathless. 

When the dance ceased, Margaret noticed that Lajos had led Alice 
out upon the balcony, and was talking with her in the moonlight. 
" You are right," he said. " I have seen the evils of gaming in the 
army. You have taught me a lesson. I will never play for money 
again." 

Konrad came in with refreshments, — little cakes, and glasses of 
"limonad." The countess had evidently regarded the prejudices of 



THE COUNTESS. 6j 

her guests, though she herself declined the beverage, declaring it made 
her shiver to think of it. 

So a week passed, rendering them all better and better acquainted 
with each other's good qualities and faults ; for the latter come out 
with even more startling distinctness during travel than at home. 

Annette was the only one of the party who had not yet seen the 
Countess Krajova ; but the name and title was unfamiliar to her, and 
she had as yet no suspicion that the baroness whom she had known 
years ago might in the interval have married a count, and be known 
by her husband's name and title. 

The culmination of their intercourse occurred a few days after 
this. Alice and Margaret were sitting alone one afternoon, when 
Konrad came running to their room, exclaiming, " The countess ! 
The countess! She has poisoned herself!" 

" What ? On purpose ? " Alice asked. 

" No. She have one dreadful headache, and she take some medi- 
cine. And now I tink she die." 

" Where is Lajos ? " asked Alice. 

" I know not. He have depart." 

" Then, run for a physician, and we will go to her meantime." 
Alice had had experience in the hospital ; but Margaret was younger, 
and knew nothing of medicine. She followed Alice, feeling all the 
time as if she were in a dream. The countess lay upon a couch, her 
face distorted, her form bent, and her fingers contracted, as though 
suddenly frozen stiff in the midst of a convulsion. 

Alice stepped quickly to the dressing-table. The vial labelled 
Nux Vomica from which she had taken the medicine stood uncorked, 
a teaspoon beside it. 

" It is what you call homoeopathic medicine," said the trembling 
maid. " That never hurt anybody." 

Alice read the printed direction. " Mix four drops of the tincture 
in a third of a glass of water, and take one teaspoonful at each dose." 



68 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



But the countess had taken one teaspoonful of the tincture, wash- 
ing; it down with a third of a glass of water. 

" That make all the same, is it not ? " asked the maid. 
" Hardly," replied Alice. " It is deadly poison. She has taken 
enough to kill her. The antidote is tannic acid ; and the pharmacist's 
is so far away that we can never get it here in time. We can only 
give an emetic. Quick ! Get me some mustard and hot water." 

The maid brought the mixture. " We can never make her take 

it," said Margaret. " Her teeth are 
ground tightly together. I believe she 
has lockjaw." 

" The entomologist up-stairs must 
have chloroform," replied Alice. " Run 
and ask him for some. A sniff of it 
will make the muscles relax, and then 
she can open her mouth and take the 
medicine." 

Margaret sped up to the old ento- 
mologist's room, but he was away 



among the hills chasing Alpine but- 
terflies. His door was locked, but she 
bethought her suddenly of Annette's 
skeleton key. Down-stairs again, to 
explain the matter to Annette, who 
opened the door with a triumphant 
manner which said plainly, " Now, you see, yourself, the good of 
having a brother who is a locksmith, and can commit burglary with- 
out a scruple, when it serves your purpose." 

Margaret, having first carried down a bottle of glue, which would 
not have had a relaxing tendency, at last found the chloroform in 
the old gentleman's dressing-case. What a time they had afterwards, 
explaining the burglary to the deaf old entomologist, and how pleased 




'//// 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST RECEIVES THE 
APOLOGY. 



THE COUNTESS. 69 

he was that his chloroform had the desired effect ! " And now," said 
Alice, " if I only had the tannic acid ! " 

Margaret's wits slowly came to her. " Alice, they use tannic acid 
in ink, do they not ? " 

" Yes ; but combined with iron. Ink would not serve the purpose." 

" I know it. But grandpa was complaining of the ink we have 
here, and bought some chemicals the other day, to make some for his 
precious lecture ; and I am sure that he has not used them yet." 
And Margaret flew to her grandfather's room, returning with the 
tannic acid, and bringing Annette to assist. Annette, however, was 
of little service. " Hand me the smelling-salts," Alice had said. 
" Look on the dressing-table. You surely will find a vinaigrette." 

Annette fumbled among the articles displayed on the dainty toilet- 
table, her gaze fixed on a well-known crest on the silver vinaigrette, — 
a mailed hand waving a firebrand. 

" Quick, Annette ; the vinaigrette ! She is fainting," exclaimed 
Margaret. "You cannot find it? Why, girl! it is in your hand," 
Annette turned, and gave the countess one long, terrified stare. The 
features were unfamiliar, but years might have changed them. She 
dared not await her return to consciousness ; and when Margaret, 
whose hand had been extended for the smelling-salts, looked up impa- 
tiently, Annette was gone. The girls continued their efforts until the 
arrival of the physician, who listened to what they had done, gave 
some remedies, and congratulated them warmly. " You have saved 
the lady's life," he said. " But for your prompt action, I should have 
arrived too late." Lajos, who entered at this moment, clasped Alice's 
hand. " This is like you," he said simply. 

It was several days before the countess fully recovered ; but, when 
told of what had happened, she perversely insisted on giving all the 
credit to Margaret. It was in vain that Margaret herself disclaimed 
the merit, explaining that she only followed Alice's directions, and 
that without her she would not have known what to do. The countess 



JO THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

persisted in attributing Margaret's statement of the fact to her own 
modesty. 

When Lajos rather indignantly urged that Alice's participation in 
the rescue should not be ignored, the countess grudgingly accorded 
her an expression of her gratitude. It was evident that she had 
contracted an unreasoning prejudice toward Alice and an equally 
unfounded fondness for Margaret. She could not bear, now, to allow 
a single day to pass without seeing her. She made her handsome 
presents, — an exquisitely embroidered Swiss muslin dress, and a pretty 
necklace of edelweiss blossom in frosted silver. Her manner softened 
appreciably. She had been very near death, and had felt the spray of 
that unknown sea upon her face. Her eyes assumed a wistful expres- 
sion. They followed Margaret beseechingly. Her fondness wearied 
Margaret, who was not then as unselfish as she afterward became. 
It was not altogether pleasant to read continually to an invalid instead 
of roaming freely with the others. And when the countess was able 
to join them in their excursions it was just a little wearying to have 
her claw-like hand forever resting upon her arm, to adapt her steps 
to the cramped hobble of her companion, and to respond to her ques- 
tions, while the Judge, tripping on in advance, laughed heartily at Ce- 
cilia's witticisms, which Margaret could not hear, and Alice and Lajos 
loitered in the rear, evidently well content with each other's company. 

Annette, too, increased Margaret's impatience to proceed to Zer- 
matt by letting fall fascinating hints and suggestions in regard to 
her great-aunt. She threw every possible obstacle in the way of 
Margaret's meeting with the countess, or accepting her invitations, — 
hiding her gloves, disclosing stains and rents at the last moment, when 
quite too late to remedy defects. She was in a fever of anxiety to be 
off, and of apprehension of detection, and she longed for some event 
which would break up this, to her, very undesirable intimacy. None 
of her plots to hasten the departure succeeded ; but the event came 
from an entirely unexpected quarter. 



THE COUNTESS. 7 1 

One evening, as the carriage of the countess halted at the door of 
the hotel, after an excursion to the Castle of Chillon, the clerk met the 
Judge with the well-pleased air of a man who has done his duty and 
deserves appreciation. " An American has inquired for you," he 
announced ; " and I told him that you left special directions that no 
Americans would be received. He said he had made your acquaint- 
ance at Geneva, and you expected to meet him again. I told him 
that was probably the reason you were so particular in your orders to 
me. He flushed as red as a beet, and said, ' Oh ! very well,' and went 
away." 

" Do you remember his name ? " Margaret asked. 

" It was Walker," replied the clerk. " I remember that very well ; 
for I thought it very appropriate, he walked so well and so fast. He 
went straight down the Mountain to Montreux, where he has doubt- 
less lodged at the inn, and we have lost a guest; but I don't mind 
that, since I have done a service to Monsieur and the young ladies." 

" You took me a little too seriously, my friend," said the Judge. 
" I had no idea that Mr. Walker was coming in this direction, and I 
would like very much to see him." 

The three girls joined in a chorus of, " What a pity ! " and, " I trust 
he is not greatly offended," as they mounted the stairs. 

Margaret decided that an apology was due him; and the Judge 
wrote a kind letter, which, however, could not be sent until the morn- 
ing. Livingston Walker had stepped aside, when half-way down the 
mountain, to allow the carriages to roll by, and, though unrecognized 
himself, had heard Margaret's gay laugh ring out, and had noticed 
that a distinguished-looking foreigner sat beside her. 

Stung by the rebuff which he had just received, he decided rashly 
that it must have been meant for him personally by Margaret. 

"She is a heartless schemer," he said to himself; "her giddy head 
turned by the attentions of a noble of the fifth rank. It serves me 
right for stopping over, on my way, to accept her grandfather's invi- 
tation. I shall know better in future." 



7 2 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE JUNGFRAU AND THE OBERLAND. 

The clouds are on the Oberland, 

The Jungfrau snows look faint and far ; 
But bright are these green fields at hand, 

And through those fields comes down the Aar ; 
And from the blue twin lakes it comes, 

Flows by the town, the churchyard fair, 
And 'neath the garden- walk it hums, 

The house, — and is my Marguerite there ? 

Matthew Arnold. 

JUDGE HOUGHTON, who was sorry for the affront which his 
friend had received, decided to take an early morning walk the 
next day, and make suitable explanations. He was, therefore, 
not a little disappointed to find that Livingston Walker had just left 
for Thun, doubtless on his way to the Jungfrau, the glacier of the 
Aar. A great desire to ascend the mountain in his company came 
over Judge Houghton. With his recent walks had come the convic- 
tion that mountaineering was not the easy matter which he had imag- 
ined, and he could not help thinking that the company of such a 
vigorous young climber would be of immense assistance to him. If 
only he could induce Margaret to deflect from her route long enough 
to make this ascension, they might easily overtake Mr. Walker. He 
returned to the hotel to find the girls discussing their plans at the 
breakfast-table. 

Cecilia and Alice had decided that, much as they were enjoying 
their delightful stay at Glion, they could not remain longer. Mrs. 
Newton would accompany them on their Eastern journey as far as 



THE JUNGFRAU AND THE OBERLAND. 7 3 

Lucerne, and they were endeavoring to persuade Margaret to make 
the same decision. 

Margaret, who was weary of the countess and of Glion, was quite 
ready to leave, but felt that she must turn her face toward Zermatt. 
"What do you say, grandpa? " she asked, appealing to Judge Houghton. 

" I fancy the aunt will keep a few weeks longer," replied the old 
man eagerly. " I would like nothing better than to visit Lucerne. It 
is the William Tell region, and I want that for my lecture. Besides, 
the Jungfrau is exactly on the way. We can obtain a fine view of it 
from Interlaken." 

The old gentleman wisely said nothing of his hope of meeting Mr. 
Walker, rightly thinking that for Margaret this would be no argument 
in favor of the plan. 

Margaret consented to the wishes of the others, only stipulating 
that in a week's time she should proceed to Zermatt. 

" Then let us go at once ! " exclaimed Judge Houghton. " Off, 
girls, and pack your trunks, while I look up the route." 

" How disappointed the countess will be ! " Alice remarked. " See 
what lovely flowers she has sent us," and Alice pointed to a superb 
bouquet of Alpine roses or rhododendrons, which, however, bore the 
card of Lajos. 

"Ah, yes! the poor countess," Margaret remarked carelessly, "and 
poor Lajos as well ; but they cannot expect us to remain with them 
the rest of our natural lives." 

" It seems to me that is exactly what they do expect," said Mrs. 
Newton ; " and I feel that it is quite time that we separated." 

Great was the dismay of the countess when our travellers bade her 
farewell. " Lucerne ! " she exclaimed. " For why do you remove 
yourself to Lucerne ? Is it not beautiful enough here ? " 

" It is beautiful, dear countess ; but we must all go on, Alice to her 
mission, Cecilia to Baireuth, and I to my relatives." 

"Fiddlestick!" replied the amiable lady, " zat is all as nonsense. 



74 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

You must visit me at my own home ; you must go back wiz me to 
Hungary." 

It was with great difficulty that Alice persuaded her that this was 
impossible for the present, and it was only by promising that she 
would try to visit her before returning to America that the countess 
was induced to relinquish her hold upon her. Lajos had gone for a 
long tramp up the Rhone valley, and did not share in the leave-taking. 

The preparations for departure were hastily made. It had been 
decided to drive over the Col de Jaman to Thun, and then to take the 
steamer across the lake to Interlaken. The carriage was at the door 
in an hour's time ; and all took their places in high good humor, with 
the exception of Alice, who was a little pensive. Annette mounted 
to her seat beside the driver in a tremor of delight. She did not like 
the postponement of their visit to Zermatt, but, anything was better 
than remaining longer under the same roof with this mysterious 
woman who might prove to be even the great-aunt herself. 

In her trepidation she had written to her Uncle Jakob Lochwalder, 
asking him to inquire at The RifTel Hotel, and secure for her any in- 
formation which could be obtained in reference to the Baroness Du Fais. 

She would have felt even less assured if she had known that the 
countess had invited Margaret to visit her; and that she was even 
now determining that Lucerne would be a pleasant locality to visit on 
their return to Austria, a decision in which her nephew was certain 
to concur. 

Judge Houghton's plot in the meantime was crowned with success, 
and the girls were greatly surprised as they took the steamer at Thun 
on the following day to meet Mr. Livingston Walker. Their surprise 
was mutual, and the Judge's delight unbounded. The discourtesy of 
the hotel clerk was explained; and all placed their camp-stools on 
deck, and enjoyed the lovely scenery of the lake in company. The 
day was perfect, good humor reigned. The young man's spirits rose, 
and his grievance vanished. He pointed and named out the castles 



THE JUNGFRAU AND THE OBERLAND. 75 

on the shore as they passed them, — Chartreuse, Hunech, and that of 
Count de Portales. At Spiez the great mountains of the Oberland 
came into view; the Eiger, or giant, Monch, or monk, and the Jung- 
frau, the virgin, grouped themselves in front, and the Faulhorn and 
Schreckhorn on the left. They had seen no such peaks as these 
hitherto, and exclamations of admiration were uttered on every side. 
Judge Houghton edged his camp-stool close to Mr. Walker's, and con- 
fided, " I dragged them all away from Glion, much against their will, 
simply because I was determined to ascend the Jungfrau with you." 

" What, you wish the ladies to ascend the Jungfrau ? " 

" No, no ; of course not. They are not equal to it ; but it is one of 
the things which I came to Switzerland to do," and he pointed to the 
name on his alpenstock. " I must not give up the battle without a 
blow. The ladies will wait for us at Interlaken." 

Mr. Walker was embarrassed. It was hard to tell this enthusiastic 
old gentleman that the climb was too difficult for him, but it was 
plainly his duty to dissuade him from the undertaking. He tried his 
best to do so, but Judge Houghton was not to be dissuaded. " I am 
quite as well able to do it as you," he asserted with some warmth. 
" And if you do not care to have me as a companion, I will go alone." 
It needed all of Margaret's tact to soothe his ruffled temper. 

"Very well, we will see; we will see," said Mr. Walker. "The 
weather may be unusually favorable ; and if the best guides are disen- 
gaged, it may not be impossible." 

" We can never get him to the top " the young man thought with 
a sinking heart; "but I will not desert him." 

Margaret gave him a look of gratitude, which showed that she 
comprehended the situation. It was a delightful thing to share a 
responsibility of hers, to know that he was aiding her in any way; 
and in such a cause he felt himself ready to carry Judge Houghton 
on his back to the summit of the Jungfrau. Their short sail was 
quickly over. The steamer stopped at Darlingen, and the passengers 



7 6 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



were conveyed from the lake of Thun by rail to Interlaken or the 

twin lake of Brienz. 

They found Interlaken a gay watering-place, with twenty-five or 

more hotels, crowded with guests. Mr. Walker selected for them the 

Jungfraublick, on the Hoheweg or main avenue, a pleasant street, 

shaded with walnut trees. The windows of their rooms commanded 

a fine view of the Jungfrau. They were com- 
fortably lodged, but the troops of tourists who 
were continually coming and going had robbed 
Interlaken of its secluded rural air and the 
peasants of their unconscious simplicity. 

" Beautiful as it is, I would not care to 
remain here long," Cecilia said; and the rest 
echoed the sentiment. 

Margaret had fancied that, she enjoyed rank, 
fashion, and wealth ; but its continued display 
at Interlaken surfeited her. The orchestra, 
discoursing Strauss and Offenbach in the 
Kursaal, Swiss peasants metamorphosed into 
waiters in full-dress suits, flirting white nap- 
kins, and serving interminable glasses of Rhine 
wine, imposing equipages, with high-stepping 
horses, jingling chains, and gilded harnesses, 
a Golconda of diamonds at the breakfast-table, 
electric lights and telephones, and the crowd 
of invalids and pleasure-seekers, — all wearied 

her inexpressibly ; and she longed to flee away to some boundless, 

uninhabited wilderness. 

If she had thought more deeply, she would have recognized the 

fact that she was more dissatisfied with herself than with her 

surroundings. 

Judge Houghton on the morning after their arrival arrayed himself 




A METAMORPHOSED NA- 
TIVE OF INTERLAKEN. 



THE JUNGFRAU AND THE OBERLAATD. 



77 



lif" 




in his Alpine costume, and apostro- 
phized the Jungfrau from the bal- 
cony of his bedroom in the following 
terms : — 

" So there you are, old lady, and 
in good humor, not a cloud on your 
brow. Just wait a moment until I 
have my lunch put up, and I will 
make . your more intimate acquaint- 
ance." 

Mr. Walker, who had the adjoin- 
ing room, heard him speaking, and 
opened his blinds. 



78 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IJV SWITZERLAND. 



" Ah ! and there you are, sleepy head ! " exclaimed the Judge. 
" Come, let us be off, or we will not be back in time for dinner." 

"I should think not," replied Mr. Walker. "Why, my dear sir, 
there are fifty miles of good climbing between us and the summit of 
the Jungfrau, for all it looks so near." 

The Judge was much disappointed, and could hardly believe the 

statement ; but he descended to 
the office and there made the 
acquaintance of a young tour- 
ist, who had similar aspirations 
in regard to the Jungfrau. 
Speedily an agreement was 
made between them to ascend 
the mountain in company; and 
the younger enthusiast secured 
the services of two of the best- 
known guides who happened 
to be looking for employment, 
agreeing to drive to Grindel- 
wald, and to make the ascen- 
sion from that point, on Mon- 
day of the following week. 
When the Judge announced 
this plan at breakfast, Margaret and Mr. Walker regarded each other 
across the table in dismay. " But you promised to climb the moun- 
tain with Mr. Walker, grandpa ! " Margaret exclaimed. 

" Mr. Walker is welcome to come with me," the Judge replied. 
" But you forget that he promised to take us to-day to the valley of 
Lauterbrunnen and the Fall of the Staubach, and you wanted to see 
that, too." 

" So I did, so I did. I wanted to photograph it for my lecture. Is 
there not time for both ? " 




THE JUDGE SALUTES THE JUNGFRAU.. 



THE JUNGFRAU AND THE OBERLAND. 79 

" Hardly, before Monday ; but you can send word to the guides, 
postponing the excursion," suggested Mr. Walker. 

"Hum, hum!" muttered the Judge, only half satisfied. "The 
guides are positively engaged for the first of next week by this Mr. 
Barney Jones, who cultivates athletics, and has taken the prize in 
several walking matches. He intends to ascend the Jungfrau, and I 
think it would be a good plan for us to make one party." 

" I doubt the expediency of the plan," Mr. Walker replied. " There 
is a great difference between walking in a gymnasium on a level track 
and climbing mountains, and every weak link added reduces the 
strength of our chain." 

" That may be," replied the Judge ; " but this young man has been 
in training for a year, with Alpine mountaineering in view. He's 
something of a dandy, it's true ; but he is acquainted with the members 
of the English Alpine Club, and he is provided with all the latest 
accoutrements. You ought to hear him talk. He knows why 
Whymper failed so many times on the Matterhorn, and what to 
do in case of avalanches. I think it would be a great help to 
have him with us; besides, it would make the trip cost less for us 
both." 

At this point a servant announced that the carriage ordered to take 
them to Staubach had arrived, and the conversation was interrupted. 

The Judge hastily pencilled a note to Mr. Jones, saying that he 
Avould not fail to be at Grindelwald on Monday. 

" We have escaped one danger," Mr. Walker said to Margaret, as 
they found themselves together for an instant on leaving the table. 

" I fear it is only postponing the evil day," she replied. " Grandpa 
is determined on making this ascent." 

" He is no more equal to it than to travelling on foot and alone 
across Central Africa ! " Mr. Walker exclaimed. 

" I know it, and he is just as likely to take it into his head to 
attempt the African, expedition. What can I do ? I feel so utterly 



80 . THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

helpless. I had no idea of the responsibility I was assuming when I 
promised grandma that I would take care of him." 

" Don't worry; trust it all to me. . He shall not ascend the Jung- 
frau ; something shall occur to make him miss this opportunity." 

It had been decided that Mrs. Newton and Annette should proceed 
with the baggage to Grindelwald and wait for the rest of the party, 
who would ride from Staubach over the Wenger Alp to that place. 

They dined at Staubach and then struck off from the valley, follow- 
ing a bridle-path to the top of the Wenger Alp. It was Saturday 
afternoon and they had planned to pass the Sabbath at a little inn at 
the top in the solitude of the high Alps. It was an experience never 
to be forgotten, proving to be one of the most enjoyable excursions of 
their trip. This mountain is considered of easy ascent, and from its 
top wonderful views are to be obtained of the giants of the Oberland, 
by which it is surrounded, and especially of the Jungfrau, from which 
it is separated by a comparatively narrow ravine. 

The trip was made on horseback (the carriage which had brought 
them being sent back to Interlaken) and a hostler following on foot to 
take back the saddle-horses to Stauback. After an hour of rather 
steep climbing, they paused at the village of Wengern and looked 
down upon the valley, which seemed from that height a narrow cleft. 
A rustic came from one of the houses and played upon an immense 
Alpine horn for their enjoyment. The blast which he blew was so 
mighty that the girls covered their ears and begged him to desist. 
The musician seemed accustomed to having his performance received 
in this way, and accepted the Judge's gratuity with smiling satisfac- 
tion. Their path wound now through a pine forest. The Judge, 
knowing that a fine view would be afforded just beyond, hurried for- 
ward, calling to the others to hasten. Cecilia and Alice urged their 
horses, and as Margaret and Mr. Walker had alighted and were 
varying the trip by walking, they were left behind with the hostler 
who led their horses. Mr. Walker had been talking enthusiastically 



THE JUNGFRAU AND THE OBERLAND, 8 1 

of Agassiz, and Margaret listened with interest to the young mans 
description of his master's life in the Hotel Neuchatelois as he 
christened the cabin on the Aar glacier in which he and his friends 
lived while making their observations. 

" Just what was it that Agassiz discovered in relation to glaciers? " 
Margaret asked. " I know that his monument in Mount Auburn is a 
boulder from the glacier of the Aar ; but I am ashamed to say that I 
do not know exactly what Agassiz's discovery was. It was known 
before this that glaciers moved, was it not? You must not infer 
everything discreditable to my college from my ignorance," she added 
quickly, noticing the young man's momentary expression of surprise. 
" Remember I am only a sophomore. We take up lithological and 
physiographic geology next year." 

" The wildest theories in regard to glaciers were held before Agas- 
siz," Mr. Walker replied. " One scientist read a paper before the 
British Academy to prove that they were remnants of the deluge. It 
had been proved by actual observation that they moved, but the world 
at large had not accepted the proof. Agassiz discovered their rate of 
movement and many other phenomena, and drew from them very 
broad and overwhelming conclusions, which entirely revolutionized 
the theory held until that time in regard to glaciers. The scientist 
Hugi had built a cabin on a glacier of the Aar in 1872, and had care- 
fully recorded its position in relation to objects near by ; and when 
Agassiz visited the spot in 1839, he found the cabin four thousand 
feet lower down. For ten years he labored among the principal 
glaciers of the Alps, ascertaining their rate of motion by determining 
by triangulation the exact position of the more prominent rocks, and 
returning year after year to mark the change. He made careful 
meteorological observations upon the internal temperature of the 
glaciers by boring to a great depth through the ice and nserting 
registering thermometers. He caused himself to be lowered into 
crevasses, and ascended many peaks regarded as inaccessible, and his 



82 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



companions under his direction studied the flora and fauna of the 

region, and the mysterious red snow — " 
" Pray, what .is that ? " Margaret asked. 
" It was discovered under the microscope to consist of myriads 

of infusoria, a low order of plant life. It is not infrequently met with 

in this region." 

Shortly after this they emerged from the wood and arrived at the 

hotel where a magnificent view opened 
before them of the Jungfrau, just across 
the ravine of the Trumleten. It seemed 
only at the distance of a rifle shot and 
all its inmost recesses were opened up 
to them, but from this point it was ut- 
terly inaccessible. The Judge stood 
among a party gazing spell-bound at 
its steep incline wrapped in a long, un- 
broken, winding sheet of snow. As he 
looked a long rift or crack was dis- 
tinctly seen across one of them, suc- 
ceeded a moment later by a loud re- 
port, and an immense cake or snow-field 
slipped away from the side of the moun- 
tain, coasted down the precipice, bursting 

into a flurry of fine white powder and disappearing in the precipice 

at their feet. 

"An avalanche!" everyone exclaimed in a breath, and a young 

exquisite in patent leathers and a silk hat turned and murmured — 

" It is fwiteful ! It is positively fwiteful. Think of being cwushed 

flatter than an opewa hat by one of those beastly avalanches ! How 

fwitefully disagweeable." 

It was Mr. Barney Jones who had come over armed with all the 

approved methods of the Alpine Club, and who then and there 




"POSITIVELY FWITEFUL. 



THE JUNGFRAU AND THE OBERLAND. 8 



O 



relinquished his ambition of climbing " that blawsted Jungfwaw. 
Because it isn't blawsted, you know," he explained. "No joke, 'pon 
honor, if they would only blawst away the snow, and constwuct a 
gwaded pawth, then there would be some weason in the undertaking." 

Other avalanches followed. They were not so frightful to look at, 
as to hear ; for it was necessary to remind oneself that what seemed 
only a flurry of white powder near at hand was miles away, and covered 
a vast extent, while the detonations were tremendous and, conveyed 
through the marvellously pure air with perfect distinctness, seemed 
like the reverberations of thunder. An American is said to have 
once remarked of the same scene, " I tell you, when I heard the first 
avalanche fall, I thought the whole creation was tumbling to pieces. 
And yet 'twas no more to look at than a barrel of flour tipped over! " 

The cone of the Jungfrau is so pointed that only one person can 
stand on it at once and the last part of the ascension is usually effected 
with ladders. 

The Judge, seeing that his hero had given up the ascent, also 
reluctantly acknowledged it impossible. After supper they all watched 
the sunset flushing the peaks, and dying away into cool gray, then the 
mists rose from the valleys and shrouded the mountains, and a cold 
wind from the Jungfrau seemed to freeze the marrow in their bones. 
The moon was coming up and touching the crests and turning them 
to mighty silver candlesticks, but the cold grew more and more intense 
and they were glad to take refuge by the blazing fire of the inn. The 
landlord's daughter played on the zithern, but the room was filled with 
tourists, and when thoroughly warmed the girls retired to their simple 
bedroom. They lay awake for some time listening to the notes of the 
zithern rising from the room below and softened by distance, and 
watching the white moonlight streaming in from the large window 
until moonlight and music melted into their dreams. 

The next morning nearly all of the tourists went on their journey. 
The landlord told them of some open-air preaching within walking 



84 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

distance, and the rest set out for the convocation. The preacher was 
very simple and unimpassioned in his address, but the peasants listened 
devoutly with bared heads, and the singing, with the great mountains 
all about them, was very impressive. 

"This is the grandest cathedral I ever saw," said Cecilia. 

" I was reading to grandpa only the other night what Ruskin says 
of the mountains," Margaret said, as they walked back to the little 
hotel. " I copied a part in my journal," and Margaret read : — 

" ' They seem to have been built for the human race as at once their 
schools and cathedrals ; full of treasures of illuminated manuscript for 
the scholar, kindly in simple lessons to the worker, quiet in pale 
cloisters for the thinker, glorious in holiness for the worshipper. 
Great cathedrals of the earth, with their gates of rock, pavements of 
cloud, choirs of stream and stone, altars of snow, and vaults of purple 
traversed by the continual stars.' " 

They spent the afternoon in a secluded nook, reading quietly part 
of the time, or talking in subdued tones, but listening more frequently 
and watching for the avalanches which, loosened by the mid-day sun, 
plunged at intervals into the gorge. They had lost the sense of fright 
which the first impression of the mountain and the precipice had made 
upon them, but the feeling of awe deepened. All the life of Interlaken 
and its like seemed petty and contemptible; great thoughts and 
aspirations filled Margaret's soul; it seemed to her that she had never 
been so near God before. 

The next morning they descended to Grindelwald, walking all the 
way, and accomplishing it before dinner. No one was wearied but 
Judge Houghton, who was kindly assisted by Mr. Walker. The 
grand peak of the Wetterhorn rose in front of them, and the Faulhorn 
loomed on their left toward the north, while on the right was the 
lower glacier of Grindelwald. It was their first view of a real glacier 
— a great frozen river composed by the alternate melting and freezing 
of the snowfall on the different peaks, and the snows of each season 




THE WELLHORN AND WETTERHORN. 



THE JUNGFRAU AND THE OBERLAND. 87 

pressing downward and onward the deposit of the last. The Fin- 
steraarhorn is the centre of the glacial system of the Oberland, from 
its sides and between it and the surrounding mountains sweep the 
great glacier of the Aar and its smaller branches. The Finsteraarhorn 
has rightly been called the " monarch of mountains." It overtops all 
its surrounding brothers, rising to the height of fourteen thousand one 
hundred and six feet. One author says of it, " It rises up like a huge 
tower from the Hetsch glacier, Viescher glaciers, Grindelwald and 
Finsteraar glaciers, and looking as if in rising it had dragged part of 
them up with it ; for there are pillars and buttresses of ice reaching 
to its topmost summit, and connecting it with its neighbors on the 
east and west, the fair Jungfrau, the round-headed Monk, the sharp- 
pointed Eiger and gloomy Shreckhorn, the Wetterhorns (and others), 
which stand on either side of the monarch and form his court." 

As they passed the Grindelwald glacier Mr. Walker gave them 
much interesting information in regard to it and other glaciers. He 
explained the origin of the curious mushroom-shaped tables and the 
small wells ; the former caused by the larger stones shading the ice 
beneath them and keeping it from melting, so that while the surface 
around was lowered by the action of the sun the rock was hoisted 
in air by an ever-growing pedestal. The small stones, on the contrary, 
are heated through by the sun and cause the ice to melt more rapidly, 
forming the narrow wells. 

The Judge remarked on the size of the stones in the moraine at the 
foot of the glacier. He had not supposed that the debris would be so 
considerable or so difficult to cross. 

" Then you have not heard the definition of a moraine given by a 
member of the Alpine Club ? " Mr. Walker asked ; " the young man 
described it as one hundred thousand cartloads of stones carefully 
piled up by Nature on scientific principles with a view to the dislo- 
cation of the human ankle." 

Grindelwald was wilder and more simple than Interlaken. There 



38 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



were fewer tourists and the peasants more unsophisticated, though the 
girls were still importuned to purchase wood-carvings and lace, and 
small boys followed them with specimens from the glacier, crystals 
and pebbles, and bouquets of Alpine flowers. At this point they 
rejoined Mrs. Newton and Annette, who had not cared to take the 
mountain excursion, and here in front of the hotel they found M'f. 
Barney Jones in hot altercation with one of the guides who had 

been engaged to ascend the Jung- 
frau. The young athlete was as 
eager now to give up the excursion 
as he had been to undertake it ; 
but the guides held him to his 
bargain, and the hotel-keeper took 
sides with them. The Judge of- 
fered to pay the sum which he 
had previously agreed upon to 
settle the matter; and Mr. Walker 
stepped in as mediator. 

" It isn't the money," said the 
recusant Alpinist, "but the howid 
cweatures seem to regard me as 
their lawful pwey and are deter- 
mined to lug me along body and 
bones. I'll pay the fellahs what- 
ever I've pwomised if they'll only 
let me off from making the twip." 
This being explained to the guides, everything was amicably 
arranged, and from Grindelwald our friends proceeded on the next 
day to Meiringen. Here Mr. Walker took leave of them, turning off 
toward the right on his way to the hospice of the Grimsel and thence 
to the glacier of the Aar. Annette suggested that this was the most 
direct route to Zermatt, and all regretted the ending of their pleasant 




MR. BARNEY JONES IN DIFFICULTIES. 






THE JUNGFRAU AND THE OBERLAND. 89 

intercourse, and none more than Mr. Walker himself. Judge Houghton 
would gladly have accompanied him, but the young man assured 
Margaret that the mountaineering which he must now undertake was 
much too difficult for the Judge. " The Rigi is quite enough for 
him," he said to her ; " and I think that when he has once made that 
ascent he will be satisfied. I would like very much to take him with 
me across some of the passes. After I have finished my Agassiz 
pilgrimage, I would like to make such a trip as your friend thought of, 
and follow up Napoleon as an engineer. I will be through with my 
glacier work in about a month from the present time. Have I your 
permission to join you then ? " 

" Grandpa will be delighted to go with you, I am sure," Margaret 
replied. " We shall be at Zermatt in all probability." 

" That is a dangerous point for any one afflicted with the mania 
scandens. If your grandfather manifests any wild desire to scale the 
Matterhorn, write me at the Grimsel, and I will fly to him at once." 

Margaret laughed, but underneath the apparent lightness on either 
side, she was certain that here was a friend who could be depended 
upon in any real need ; and he knew that he was ready to do all that 
he had said, and more than he dared to offer, for her sake. 



9 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



CHAPTER VI. 

LUCERNE. 

Yonder lies 
The lake of the Four Forest Towns, apparelled 
In light, and lingering like a village maiden. 

Overhead, 
Shaking his cloudy tresses loose in air, 
Rises Pilatus with his windy pines. 

Longfellow. 

WHEN the party took the diligence at Meiringen, which was 
to carry them over the Brunig towards Lucerne, even the I 
weather seemed to sympathize with the low state of feeling 
caused by the parting. All the skies in the Oberland had been fair; 
all their days bright and pleasant ; but now a heavy fog wrapped the 
mountains. As they alighted and looked back, just before reaching the 
post-house on the summit of the Col de Brunig, hoping to obtain the 
traditional farewell view of all the mountains whose names end in horn, I 
a dense gray curtain was stretched between them and the " Delectable 
Mountains," and Margaret felt that all the beautiful past was blotted out. 

At Alpnach Mr. Walker had told them to look for the chute, down 
which logs are slid from the pine forests on the slopes of Mount 
Pilatus to the lake, a distance of eight miles. The slide is paved with 
over twenty-five thousand trees, stripped of their bark, and laid at an 
angle of ten to eighteen degrees. Logs shoot down the eight miles 
in less than six minutes. 

It was not actually raining when they reached Alpnach, on the 
shore of Lake Lucerne, but Annette pointed to Mount Pilatus tower- 
ing above them, and repeated the old German proverb : — 



LUCERNE. 



91 



"Hat Pilatus sein hut 
Dann wird das Wetter gut, 
Trtigt er aber einen Degen 
So giebts wo hi sic her regeti. 



Which has been translated : — 



If Pilatus wears his hood, 
Then the weather's always good ; 
If he draws his dirk again, 
We shall surely then have rain. 

They looked, and saw that, instead of the round cloud which 
usually caps the mountain's head, a ragged, cloudy streamer, shaped 
something like a waving 
sword, was flying like a 

storm-signal toward Lu- ^jp^gE!^ v>i^ ^sfi:- 

cerne. A storm of wind, 
the avant-courier of the 
tempest gathering in the 
Oberland, was evidently 
raging at the top of the 
mountain, though unfelt 
in the lower air. 

" What an excellent 
place that would be for 
Old Probability's office," 
the Judge remarked. 

" But not an enviable 
station for the signal offi- 
cer," Margaret replied. 

" There is an interesting legend connected with the mountain," 
said Cecilia; "have you never heard it?" When the bustle occa- 
sioned by their transfer from the diligence to the little steamer which 




PILATUS, LAKE OF LUCERNE. 



9 2 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

was to convey them to Lucerne had subsided, she told them the 
legend somewhat as follows : — 

" After the death of the Saviour, Pilate so greatly mismanaged the 
government of Judea that he was recalled by Tiberius to Rome, and 
an examination made into his affairs. Most mysteriously the emperor 
cleared him, and re-instated him in favor. Other charges were made 
against him, with like result, when it was suggested that Pilate used 
magical arts to maintain his influence over the emperor. He was ex- 
amined by his enemies, and it was discovered that he wore the Saviour's 
robe as an amulet underneath his toga, and when this was stripped 
off, the emperor immediately threw him into prison. Here Pilate 
committed suicide, and his body was cast into the Tiber. Storms and 
tempests visited Rome, and the indignant river cast the corpse upon 
the shore. It was then carried into Gaul and thrown into the Rhine ; 
but the heathen river also refused to cover the criminal, and after 
many vicissitudes the body was finally sunk in a little lake on the top 
of the mountain which now bears the Roman governor's name. Even 
here he refused to rest, until exorcised by a travelling student from 
Salamanca, learned in the Black Art, who laid him under a spell, 
forcing him to consent to but one holiday during the year, and that 
on Good Friday. On this night a terrible figure, dressed in the red 
robes of magistracy, is sometimes seen by the peasants, but whoever 
beholds him dies within the following year." 

"What nonsense," commented the Judge; "does the superstition 
still exist ? " 

"Hardly now, but it died a lingering death. It was said that 
Pilate's anger was excited whenever the water of his lake was dis- 
turbed. At one time all persons were forbidden to visit the lake, and 
a guardian was posted on the mountain side to keep them at a 
distance. In 1337 six priests were imprisoned for ascending the 
mountain. In 15 18 four enlightened men obtained permission to 
investigate the myth. They ascended the mountain, hurled stones 




w 

& 

w 
u 

p 

o 

H 

w 

H 
o 
K 









LUCERNE. 



95 



into the lake and dared Pilate to do his worst. Oddly enough a 
severe storm followed, and the superstition was confirmed." 

Almost as Cecilia finished speaking, the storm which had been 
gathering about the head of the haunted mountain burst upon them, 
first in violent gusts of wind which nearly tore their hats from their 
heads, and then in a steady down-pour of rain. By this time, however, 
the boat had nearly reached Lucerne, and they were soon housed in 
the Hotel National which fronts the quay. 

Their baggage had arrived before them, having been sent on from 
Interlaken, and the girls were soon engaged in dressing for dinner 
— a custom which had not been kept up in the Oberland. 

Margaret gave a little sigh as she shook out the ruffles of her 
embroidered Swiss gown, and heated her hair-crimper in the gas. 
" I feel as if I had been lifted out of myself, and had been allowed to 
fall to earth once more. I don't believe it will be so easy to be good 
here as it was among the mountains. I foresee that now we shall 
have Glion over again." 

Her foresight seemed to have something prophetic about it ; for 
as they entered the dining-room, a tall man in heavily frogged and 
decorated military dress rose from a table at the extreme end of the 
room and came forward to meet them, while a little old woman in 
black, who occupied the next seat, flourished her napkin and beck- 
oned wildly with a tall fan. 

Alice exclaimed, " Lajos ! " and Margaret, " The Countess ! " but in 
very different tones. 

The Countess was evidently overjoyed. She kissed the girls all 
around, not even forgetting Alice, but she saluted Margaret on both 
cheeks and held her off and gazed at her with rapture. " How well 
you are looking ! And you have on ze dress I gave you. It becomes 
to you very well. Where have you been all zis time ? It is an 
eternity I have wait for you." 

" It is only four or five days, countess, and we have had a posi- 
tively heavenly time." 



96 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



"The scenery was magnificent," Alice was saying to Lajos, "but 
really it was a little lonely." 

" I am glad of that," replied Lajos. " Aunt and I have been 
devoured with loneliness." 

" But Glion was not a desolate wilderness, and Lucerne does not 

seem to be deserted." 

" True, the hotel is crowded, 
but what objectionable people ! " 
" There is one comfort," Mar- 
garet remarked as she surveyed 
the table d^hote, " Calumet and 
Hecla are not here." 

" I have found some one very 
similar," Lajos replied. .»". An 
American who . monopolizes the 
newspapers in the reading-room, 
actually sitting on those which 
he is not reading, but making 
up for it by obligingly giving 
quotations from the stock mar- 
ket, and shouting at intervals : 
' Bell Telephone, firm and 
steady ! ' ' Pullman Car, active ! ' 
' Atchison depressed ! ' ' Copper falling ! ' or other ejaculations as 
remarkable." 

The countess had purchased tickets for them for a concert to take 
place that evening. " How did you know that we would arrive 
to-night ? " Margaret asked. 

" She has bought them regularly every evening," Lajos explained ; 
11 and you see she has kept these seats for you at this table, assuring 
the -head waiter every day that you would certainly be here for the 
next meal." 




STOCK OUOTATIONS. 



LUCERNE. 



97 



" Zat is nossing, zat is nossing, and who is it who read effery time 
ze arrival at all ze hotel ? And who promenade himself ze town 
around to meet zese young ladies ? " 

" I will not pretend that I did not have some personal interest in 
the matter; but then, my dear aunt, I could not see you so impatient 
without doing all I could to relieve your anxiety." 

" Fiddlestick, zat is not polite ; more, zat is not true, and now who 
will go to ze concert ? " 

Mrs. Newton, the Judge, and Cecilia were weary, and begged to be 
excused, and a partie quarr'e was formed of the countess and Marga- 
ret, Alice and Lajos. " Quite as in the old days," Margaret thought, 
hardly realizing that the old days were only last week. But there 
was this difference now, — the countess placed her arm inside that 
of Alice, and peremptorily beckoned Lajos to offer his to Margaret ; 
and yet Margaret did not seem to have declined at all in her favor. 

Margaret felt herself exhilarated as they drove through the wet 
streets, the lamps reflected in the glistening pavements, and still more 
so as they took their places in the brilliantly lighted hall filled with 
beautiful women in full dress, the odor of hot-house flowers, and the 
entrancing strains of a fine orchestra. 

Their seats were not quite together, but were separated by an aisle, 
so that Margaret found herself for the first time alone with Lajos, 
in a crowd to be sure, but virtually alone, and she was obliged to 
confess that he was not entertaining. Perhaps the reason was that 
he was so fond of music, but he scarcely spoke to her. Once he 
roused himself and asked if they had met the engineer again of whom 
Alice had spoken. " Oh, yes ! " Margaret replied, " and he was greatly 
interested in your plan of making a Napoleon pilgrimage. I really 
wish you could meet and arrange to make it together. He will soon 
furnish his observations on the Aar glacier. His address is the hos- 
pice of the Grimsel ; if you cared to write him he would come to 
Lucerne." 



gg THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

" I ? Oh, no ! " Lajos replied hastily ; " I don't want him in Lu- 
cerne ; quite the contrary. Do you think he admires Miss Alice ? " 

" Why, of course ; every one does." And Lajos relapsed into 
silence. 

Their intercourse during the week that followed was carried on 
after the same plan. Alice was now the countess's chosen companion, 
and Margaret and Lajos, without any wish of their own, were con- 
stantly thrown together. Just what the countess had in view by this 
arrangement no one quite understood. Mrs. Newton, at all events, 
was well satisfied. Her quick instincts had boded no good from the 
evident pleasure which Lajos and Alice took in each other's society 
so long as the countess maintained her prejudice. 

Margaret was selfishly glad to be relieved from attendance on the 
countess ; Lajos possibly hoped that Alice would win the heart of his 
patroness, and too polite to allow his indifference to Margaret to render 
him rude, calmly accepted the role assigned him. Alice showed by 
no word or sign that the countess's society was not in all respects as 
agreeable as that of her nephew, and was as sweet and unruffled, as 
thoughtful and unselfish, as ever. 

Annette's displeasure on finding that intercourse was again estab- 
lished with the Countess Krajova can better be imagined than 
described. She was quite sure now that this was not her former 
mistress. There were points of dissimilarity which struck her more 
forcibly as she studied the strange woman. Moreover, a letter had 
arrived from her uncle at Zermatt, informing her that the landlord 
of the Riffel Hotel was positive that the Baroness Du Fais had died 
the year following Annette's emigration to America. This was reas- 
suring; but if this mysterious countess was not Margaret's aunt, who 
was she ? And how had she come into possession of the vinaigrette 
with the well-known crest? 

Annette had surreptitiously entered the countess's rooms during 
her absence, and had looked over all her belongings. There was 



LUCERNE. 



99 



nothing marked with the fire-brand crest with the exception of the 
vinaigrette, and no scrap of writing to identify her with the Baroness. 
In her eagerness to suppress any link of evidence, Annette committed 
the mistake of stealing the vinaigrette. The theft was not immedi- 
ately traced to her, but the countess missed the keepsake which was 
evidently one with associations, and talked of it continually, describing 
the crest minutely. Annette recognized 
her blunder, and trembled for fear of 
detection. Something must be done at 
once, and she accordingly accosted Mar- 
garet one evening: with the information 
that no amount of reward would induce 
her to remain another day in Lucerne. 

" It is evident," Annette said very 
pertly, " that you do not care to find 
your relatives ; but as for me, I am not 
going to neglect mine any longer, and, 
with your permission, I will leave you 
and take the direct route to Zermatt 
by way of the Visp valley." 

" You must not speak to me in that 
way, Annette. I have not lost my in- 
terest in my unknown relatives ; but I 
prefer to be the mistress of my own 
movements, and to remain in Lucerne 
until after the great festival. It would 

o 

be very foolish to leave the city before it takes place when it is so 
near at hand. Meantime, you are perfectly at liberty to go on in 
advance of us, and to announce our coming to my aunt." 

This plan was accordingly decided upon, and Annette left at once. 

The time was approaching for the annual festival in honor of 
William Tell, and great preparations were in progress for its celebra- 




ANNETTE TAKES HER 
DEPARTURE. 



IOO THREE VASSAR GIRLS W SWITZERLAND. 

tion upon the lake. Many anxious eyes were turned toward the 
heavens, for the rain still descended, and Pilatus pointed a threaten- 
ing; dagger toward Lucerne. 

But Cecilia's music drove away ennui, or they read in turn aloud, 
while the countess worked upon an interminable piece of embroid- 
ery. Occasionally the clouds lifted, and they slipped out to see the 
sights of the city. The monument to the Swiss Guards who fell on 
the ioth of August, 1792, while defending Louis XVI of France and 
his family from the attacks of the revolutionists, is a very noble one. 
It is from a design by Thorwaldsen, and is cut from the natural rock. 
It represents a dying lion protecting a shield which bears the device 
of the Bourbon lilies. Over the cave in which the lion rests, are 
carved the words, " Helvetiorum fidei ac virtuti" — " To the valor and 
fidelity of the Swiss," — and beneath are the names of the fallen heroes. 

The countess repeated some lines written by a - Frenchman who 
admired their heroism more than the cause for which it was shown : — 

" Fideles au serment que l'erreur a dicte 
Genereux defenseurs d'une injuste querelle, 
Vous, morts en combattant contre la liberte, 
Vous meritez bien mieux d'avoir v£cu pour elle." 

The countess always called Margaret into her room after these 
excursions, and asked her what she had seen, and very often the 
intelligent old lady supplemented the sight-seeing with some inter- 
esting or valuable bit of information. 

On one occasion Margaret ridiculed an old stove which she had 
seen among the trophies of the city museum. " I presume it was the 
one on which Winkelried's mother baked his brown bread," she 
remarked derisively. 

" My tear, how is it possible you can not haf heard ze history to 
zat: stove ? " the countess asked. " Zat is one very old legend. Ze 
stove have formerly stand in ze guild-room of ze butchers. It was 



LUCERNE. IOI 

in sirteen sirty-two, when zare was plot to deliver Lucerne to ze 
Austriano. One small boy hear ze plot, but ze conspirators catch 
him and make him to swear he will tell no livino- human being- what 
he justly did hear. For well zey know zat ze Swiss boy's conscience 
not suffer him to tell a lie. But look you, zat Swiss boy not altogether 
one fool. He run into ze guild-room, at zat time full of butcher, 
and he cry out to ze stove, ' O stove, I have promise to tell no human 
being, but I declare unto zee zis plot.' Zen he tell it all, and of course 
ze butchers know it too, and ze plot is spoil and ze city safed." 

" Swiss boys do not seem to be lacking in ready wit," remarked 
Mrs. Newton. " I remember to have read of one, a boy of St. Gall, 
who brought milk each morning to the castle of a nobleman. On 
one occasion the nobleman asked him some questions which he 
answered saucily, whereupon he was told that the next time he 
appeared near the castle the dog should be set upon him. The boy 
came the next morning, carrying his milk-cans as usual, when the 
nobleman, out of pure wantonness, set a fierce bull-dog upon the boy, 
who coolly lifted the cover of one of his cans; a huge cat sprung from 
it and flew at the dog, whose attention was fully engrossed by its 
unexpected antagonist, while the boy walked slowly away laughing 
derisively." 

The river Reuss issues from the lake at Lucerne, and is here very 
swift and strong. It is crossed by two long and curious bridges. One 
of them, the Kappelbrlicke, is covered, and the interior is hung with 
seventy strange old pictures celebrating the acts of St. Maurice. 
Although, as we have explained, Lajos was generally Margaret's 
escort, it happened that he accompanied Mrs. Newton and Alice on 
their visit to this bridge. It was a dark day, and they soon tired 
of peering into the shadows and trying to make out the subjects of 
the paintings, and they turned to watch the shipping. 

" The Swiss seem particularly fond of representations of death," 
Alice said. 



102 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



" They have death before them more familiarly than the inhabitants 
of the plain," Lajos replied; "perhaps that is the reason that they do 
not seem to fear it, and are ready, when occasion calls, to become 
heroes like Arnold Von Winkelried, who 

" For victory shaped an open space, 
By gathering with a wide embrace 
Into his single heart, a sheaf 
Of fatal Austrian spears." 




" There is one thing which 
I do not quite understand," 
said Alice. " You are an 
Austrian, and yet you are constantly admiring the enemies of 
Austria — Napoleon, Arnold Von Winkelried, Venice, all have your 
sympathy. It is just so with the countess. She is always praising 
liberty, — America's struggle for independence, the war in Bulgaria 






LUCERNE. • 103 

against the Turks, and the French Revolution ; and yet it seems to 
me that Austria is one of the most despotic of despotisms." 

" She is ; Russia is a republic in comparison. To understand our 
position, I must remind you that my aunt and I are only Austrians 
in so far that our country belongs to Austria. We are Hungarians, 
and my aunt's family were all patriots. Although they belonged to 
the aristocratic class, they held advanced ideas in regard to liberty. 
My aunt's brothers were students at the University of Vienna, at the 
time of the French Revolution. They were in the deputation of two 
thousand professors and students who presented a petition to the 
emperor, asking for the following measures of reform : religious 
liberty, freedom of the press, and a national legislature in which the 
people should be represented." 

" Of course this wild demand was refused ? " 

" No ; the emperor was frightened, and while secretly negotiating 
with foreign powers for aid, he temporized by granting their request. 
The advocates of reform in Hungary felt that this was the time to 
strike for their rights, and Kossuth, with a hundred and fifty Hun- 
garian gentlemen, visited Vienna and made the same demand which 
had been presented by the students. Kossuth was the idol of the 
hour, and the emperor, feeling himself powerless before this mighty 
popular wave of feeling, granted the demand of Hungary. A won- 
derful bloodless revolution was effected. Hungary adopted a con- 
stitution emancipating its serfs and giving prince and peasant equal 
political rights." 

" That was an occasion where it happened well for the country 
that its chief ruler was a coward." 

" If the event had not proved that his word was as little to be 
trusted as his courage. All of his promises were unscrupulously 
broken, and the Austrian army sent against the Hungarians as rebels. 
It was a war of devastation, towns and villages were burned, and the 
greatest cruelties inflicted ; but the Hungarians resisted bravely and 



io4 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS mf SWITZERLAND. 



routed the Austrians again and again. The populace of Vienna were 
in sympathy with them, and rose in revolution. The emperor fled, 
but returning, reinforced by his army, took the city by storm, and 
subjected it to still more rigorous despotism. Still the war raged all 
over Hungary, and the emperor, seeing that he could not hope to crush 
his subjects, besought foreign aid. Russia responded by sending an 
army of a hundred and sixty thousand men to the aid of Austria, and 
though the struggle was maintained for some time longer, it was 
evident that there was no longer any hope. The Hungarian army 
surrendered, but Kossuth and many other Hungarians, among whom 
were my aunt's father and brothers, fled the country, escaping first to 
Turkey, and from thence to England and to America. Since that 
time my aunt has never seen these relatives, and now you can 
understand why we love liberty." 

" I see," Alice replied; "but since then Hungary has gained what 
she asked, has she not ? " 

" In great measure. It came in 1865, after Austria's humiliation 
in being set aside from the old Germanic confederation when Prussia 
became the leading power. Austria no longer held her old prestige, 
and it was necessary for her to listen to the demands of her children, 
and Hungary received her birthright. My aunt, who had gone into 
exile with her mother when her relatives had fled the country with 
Kossuth, and had lived much of the time in retirement in Switzerland, 
returned to Hungary, when it became evident that a new order of 
things was to be ushered in, and the constitutional rights of the states 
would be respected by Austria. She was a young girl when she fled ; 
a woman not in her first youth, but at the height of her beauty and of 
her intellectual powers when she returned. She entered society, and 
my uncle, who belonged to an old Austrian family, saw her in Vienna, 
was charmed by her many excellent qualities, and married her. I wish 
you^could have known her then as I still remember her — a brilliant 
and fascinating woman. She has had much trouble, and age and dis- 
appointment have made her what you now see." 



LUCERNE. 



<o5 



" I should think that her trouble ended at the time of which you 
speak. Freedom secured for her country, a happy marriage, rank, 
wealth, — what more could she need to make her happy ? " 

" Her father and mother died shortly after this, and her brothers, 
from whom she had heard occasionally up to this time, never returned. 
Her youth had fled ; there was no longer the old power to hold out 
against continued disappointment. Waiting and longing wrought its 
work upon her, and she grew suddenly old when the conviction was 
borne in upon her that they would never return. Then her husband 
died, and now I am the nearest that she has left, who am only her 
husband's nephew. She is as kind and loving as an own mother, 
and when I am tempted to think her exacting I remember all that she 
has suffered, and I look upon her with admiration." 

Alice was silent ; it did not seem to her that even with this cross 
light upon her history the countess was particularly worthy of admir- 
ation; but she knew Lajos the better for their conversation. The 
confidence already established between them was strengthened, and 
his complaisance to all the pettish demands of the countess no longer 
seemed to be dancing attendance on a legacy. Without apologizing 
for her foibles he evidently wished to beg Alice's consideration for his 
aunt. It was as though he had said, " I want you to like her, and I 
think that if you understood her history you would be lenient to her 
faults." 

If this conversation had been carried on with Margaret, the men- 
tion of exiled brothers would have suggested her grandfather, but 
Alice had never heard the strange story. 

" Look ! " exclaimed Mrs. Newton, " the clouds are breaking away. 
This looks like a final clearing up. We shall have fine weather after 
all for the Tell festival." 



I06 THREE V ASS All GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE TELL FESTIVAL 

The ranges stood 
Transfigured in the silver flood. 
Their snows were flashing cold and keen, 
Dead white, save where some sharp ravine 
Took shadow, or the sombre green 
Of hemlocks turned to pitchy black, 
Against the whiteness at their back ! 

WHILE the conversation just reported was in progress the 
Judge had been enjoying a tete-a-tete with the countess. 
" How we old people live our lives some more in ze tear 
children," she had said. " My heart it wrap up in Lajos, and to see 
him what you call settle in life. My husband's will shall leave to 
him one nice castle, and zere is always his pay as officer in ze army. 
He is an eligible parti, and I do assure you I am very difficult about him. 
I have ze proposals most advantageous from some of ze best families 
in Europe, but no I have one little hope that will not quite extinguish 
itself that he will marry ze child of a friend to me for whom I have 
him reserve. My husband have share this hope, for ze young lady 
have property of which my husband was what you call guardian. My 
friend have put in my husband's care, and he have put it wiz some 
mines of his own, and now zat mines have swallow zose money, and 
it cannot come out, which is my husband's or his ward's. But my 
friend say zat make no difference if so Lajos marry ze young lady. 
And so my friend and my husband make zeir wills. Zey shall have 
ze mines together if zey marry themselves. If ze young lady refuse 



THE TELL FESTIVAL. 



107 



to marry herself wiz Lajos, zen he shall have zat mines, and if Lajos 
will not marry zose young lady, zen he shall not take zat mines no 
more. It is a great mix up, and it shall all be decide when zose 
young lady shall come of age." 

The Judge listened with scant interest; he could hardly be said 
to listen at all so far. He thought the lady very voluble and a 
trifle absurd, and when she asked him of the fortunes of the three 
young ladies under his care, it seemed to him that she was simply 
inquisitive ; but he told her frankly that both Cecilia and Alice were 
portionless, though independent maidens ; Cecilia making a good sup- 
port for herself by teaching music, and Alice a devoted missionary. 

" Then Miss Newton is a religieuse and will never marry. She has 
what we call a vocation. It is sad, and she so young and pretty. 
And Miss Boylston's position is not to be sought of; but your grand- 
child, Miss Houghton ? " 

It chanced that Margaret's family name had not been mentioned, 
and the countess had taken it for granted that it was the same as that 
of the Judge. 

" Oh, Margaret will have a snug little fortune when I die ! " the old 
gentleman replied. 

" And you have brought her to Europe to marry her ? " 

" Marry my granddaughter ! Why, I couldn't do that, even if my 
wife were not living ! " 

" Monsieur does not understand me. You have brought her to 
Europe to find for her a husband ? " 

" Well, no ; not exactly. Margaret brought me to Europe ; and 
there is no need of our bothering our heads about finding her a 
husband. No danger but plenty of admirable young Americans will 
find her ; and if there is anything that our girls are particular about, 
it is to have their own choice." 

" So ? " said the countess. She was far from understanding the 
Judge, and she was surprised that he did not appreciate the great 



IOS THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

desirability of her nephew as a possible husband for Margaret. The 
judge's apathy only raised Margaret's value in her eyes. It was 
nothing to her that Lajos thought Margaret frivolous and mercenary. 
Could he have heard her reckless chatter that night, as she discussed 
him with her friends, he would have felt himself justified in this con- 
clusion. And yet he did not know Margaret, nor Margaret herself; 
for it was her worse nature, her worldly, ambitious self, that was 
uppermost that evening. 

" Girls," she said, " haven't we had a beautiful time to-day ? " 

" Yes, indeed," Alice replied ; " I think I never in one day saw so 
lovely a sunset." 

Margaret laughed softly. " I didn't refer to the beauties of nature, 
dear, but to the beauties of human nature recently displayed." 

" You mean by the countess ; she is certainly very eccentric." 

" She is a precious old termagant ! What a life she leads her dear 
nephew Lajos, and every one connected with her! She seems to have 
taken a fancy to me. Just wouldn't I be a discipline and a revelation 
to her, if I were in Lajos' place. I wonder whether my unknown rel- 
ative is anything like her? Think of finding a madame the countess, 
with servants in livery, and a coat of arms on the carriage door, and a 
castle in the Carpathians. It makes me wild with envy." 

" Even when handicapped by such an aunt ? " Cecilia asked. 

" Why not ? I am tremendously fond of the good things of this 
world, and I would be willing to give a good deal for the right to 
be — " 

"Miserable," suggested Alice, as an appropriate ending. "I can- 
not conceive of a more unhappy position than to be dependent upon 
a benefactress whom you do not love." 

At this point Judge Houghton knocked at the door of the little 
sitting-room. "It is time you girls were in bed," he said — but he 
paused at the door, admiring the pretty picture. 

" Did you have a pleasant chat with the countess, grandpa ? " 



THE TELL FESTIVAL. 



IO9 



"She is, without exception, the most singular female I ever met," 
the Judge replied. "She asked me the most personal questions in 
regard to each of you. I began to think that she was passing you 
in review as possible wives for her nephew, but she disabused my 
mind of that idea by assuring me that she was saving him up for a 
distant relation. One of his Austrian cousins, I presume, and I can 
only explain her questions by attributing them to pure abnormal curi- 
osity. I thought I would 
just mention that the young 
man is contracted, that 
there might be no heart- 
burning or scheming in re- 
lation to him." The judge 
said this with a sly twinkle ; 
for he well knew the indig- 
nation which his remark 
would create. 

Margaret laughed SCOrn- 
fully. " The very idea — 
that iceberg ! And yet he 
is quite a respectable ice- 
berg," she added, after her 
grandfather had left the 
room. " Do you know I 
that the countess is not my aunt, or I the distant relative for whom 
the magnificent Lajos is so tenderly guarded." 

Alice looked up quickly. " Do you really care for him, Mar- 
garet ? " and again Margaret laughed her scorn. 

" And would you marry a man whom you do not love ? " 

" Why not, if there were no pretence ? " 

" And if he did not love you ? " 

" Then I think it would be perfectly fair. I am sure that the 




MARGARET AND ALICE DISCUSS LAJOS. 



am more than ever inclined to regret 



HO THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

Count Lajos and I would make a perfectly matched couple," she con- 
tinued, only half in banter. " He does not look as if he was capable 
of warm affection, and as I am sure that I am not, I repeat that we 
seem to have been created for one another." 

A rich glow burned on Alice's cheek. " I do not think you under- 
stand him," she said. " I am sure that he is capable of very true 
affection, but I do not believe he is happy in this engagement." 

" Then why doesn't he break it ? " 

" Probably his aunt's favor and fortune are at stake." 

" Then if he cares more for the fortune than for his freedom, I do 
not see that he deserves our pity." 

" Nor I ; and as I can't quite believe that he is so base as that, I 
am sure there must be some other reason." 

" I do not think so ; he is simply under his aunt's thumb. She 
can make him do exactly as she likes. He would marry me if she 
wished him to do so." And the thought flashed through Margaret's 
mind, " I have only to be nice to the countess and she would throw 
over this anciently-agreed-upon marriage and insist upon Lajos mar- 
rying me." 

The day dawned for the Tell festival, clear and perfect, greatly to 
the delight of thousands of expectant people. Steamers and barges set 
out in the morning from Lucerne, making the circuit of the lake, and 
stopping on the way to Fluelen at all the villages to collect the peas- 
ants in their holiday attire. 

Lajos had engaged a steam yacht for the party, and they followed 
in the wake of a great steamer, on which a band was playing merrily 
and from which flags and streamers were fluttering. The great banner 
of the Swiss Confederacy overtopped all, while the escutcheons of the 
four forest cantons, which include the Lake of Lucerne, were dis- 
played on broad shields on the sides of the boat. The crowd on 
deck, in their gayly-colored costumes, gave the steamer a very bril- 
liant appearance. In honor of the day, two of the three girls had 



■'/:■ (II) II 




...I'lrk? /£'!). f^Bwl ! ','iillSL.i ..;... . ,|l :,' i .f 



THE TELL FESTIVAL. 



I I 



dressed in the costume of the Canton of Uri, which consists of red 
petticoats and stockings, black velvet bodice, and full white waist, with 
square velvet collars embroidered in silver. Silver chains were fastened 
to each corner of the collar, hanging loosely under the arms. These, 
with other silver ornaments, 
were furnished by the count- 
ess. Margaret wore the still 
more lavish ornaments of a 
peasant of Unterwalden. 
One adjunct of the costume 
they did not adopt, — the 
maple-wood sandals which 
slip with every step, and 
make a noisy clapping on 
the stone pavements. With- 
out these it was impossible 
to realize their wish to pass 
as peasant girls among the 
peasants. There were dis- 
crepancies, too, in their head 
gear. And as they stood 
together later, before the 
porch of the church at Alt- 
dorf (see Frontispiece), they 
made a pretty picture for the 
Judge to photograph ; but 
every true peasant knew that they were masquerading. 

They stopped at the Griitli, which tradition says was the trysting- 
place of the three patriots of Schwyz who founded the Swiss Confed- 
eracy ; and then glided on past the Mythenstein, a rock rising from 
the waters of the lake, on which a grateful people have chiselled an 
inscription in honor of Schiller, who made the name of their hero, 
William Tell, famous in literature. 




A. SWISS MAIDEN. 



ii4 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



The boat paused for a few moments at the Tellenplatte, where 
stands the famous chapel to Tell, on the spot where he is supposed to 
have sprung on shore and escaped ; but the shrine of the pilgrimage 
was the church at Altdorf. All the boats came to anchor at Fluelen ; 
a procession was formed, which proceeded on foot to Altdorf, while 

those who did not care to 
gjjjjj iiBEi. take part in the procession 

bestowed themselves in the 
carriages, omnibuses, and ve- 
hicles of every description 
which were in waiting. All 
the village of Altdorf came 
out to meet them, singing 
patriotic songs and bearing 
garlands. Mottoes were dis- 
played on the fronts of the 
houses. Wreaths and gar- 
lands of evergreen and of 
flowers were interspersed 
with bunting and fluttering 
ribbons. The Schutz Verein, 
in a sort of Robin Hood 
^ pK^ costume, carrying cross-bows, 

ippiiw*** 5 ^ came from the gymnasium. 

tell's chapel, lake of lucerne. The Capuchins, in their long 

brown gowns with knotted 
rope girdles, marched from their monastery, chanting and carrying 
processional crosses and candles ; and the nuns marshalled the chil- 
dren. A bishop in white, holding his hand aloft in blessing, and 
priests in scarlet or in black robes, swinging censers and sprink- 
ling holy water, stood upon the church steps. As the processions 
approached, the bishop turned and led the way into the church, 
where mass was said. 





THE TELL FESTIVAL. 



115 



At Altdorf all the associations connected with William Tell con- 
centrate. It was here that Gesler's hat was supposed to have been 
raised upon the pole, here Tell shot the apple from his son's head, and 
here Tell was born. All this according to the legend which Schiller 
has immortalized and which is now called in question by doubting 
antiquarians. It is in vain that historians now declare that the hero 
of Switzerland is a myth ; the peasants have believed in him too firmly 
and for too many generations. It would be as easy to convince the 
American that George Washington never existed. 

The girls turned from the main part of the church to the sacristy, 
where the costly gifts shown them testified to the faith of the princes 
as well as peasants, and having viewed these, all strolled through the 
town and a little way up the hill to secure the fine view. Again, by 
some magic attraction, Alice and Lajos walked together; Margaret 
and Cecilia following, and Mrs. Newton, the countess and the Judge 
loitering far behind. There were so many people wandering in 
different directions, that the three groups were presently separated, 
and Alice and Lajos found themselves on a little eminence overlook- 
ing the village and the merry crowd below. A chorus of male voices 
was now lustily rendering " The Old Song of Tell," and the notes, 
softened by distance, rose sweetly from the valley. " How beautiful it 
all is!" Alice said; "but you do not seem to enjoy it; are you weary?" 

" No ; I wish we might walk on so for the rest of our lives. I am 
never tired with you. But now our paths separate for a time, and 
when I think of walking on alone I realize suddenly that I am a 
broken man, and that I am very weary." 

Alice understood him, but showed no confusion. " Then you have 
decided to go to Italy ? " she asked. 

" Aunt has decided," he replied ; " but we shall not remain long, 
and I shall join you at Baireuth before the Wagner festival is over. 
I hope we may have the pleasure of your company as we sail down 
the Danube. When do you return to your mission in Bulgaria ? " 



n6 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



" The middle of next month ; I have made a long vacation and am 
eager to return to my girls." 

" Do you enjoy the work so very much ? " 

" So much, that it seems to me that philanthropy is the only thing 

worth living for." 

" I have come to think so, 
too. Tell me, Miss Alice, in 
what way can a man like me 
devote himself to his fellow-crea- 
tures ? My career as a soldier 
was spoiled by that ugly wound, 
but I am not utterly disabled ; 
I ought still to be able to do 
good and worthy work' in the 
world in some fashion. Shall I 
turn missionary ? " 

" Think of your home," Alice 
replied ; " is there no way that 
you can be a missionary to the 
people on your own estate, those 
for whom you are responsible, or 
are they all in such comfortable 
circumstances that they need to 
have nothing done for them ? " 
" The people of my own class need a good deal of evangelization, 
I fear ; but there are the miners, the poor devils . who work the 
lead mines, which give me my income. I have often thought of 
bettering their condition which I know is sad enough. If you will 
kindly visit my aunt on your way to Bulgaria, I will take you to the 
mines, and we will see what can be done for the miners and their 
families. The trouble is, that if I increase the miners' wages and 
lessen their hours of work, fit up their homes, establish a school and 




COSTUME OF PEASANT OF UNTERWALDEN. 



THE TELL FESTIVAL. I i 7 

all that sort of thing, it will cost a great deal, and will really lessen 
my income. We are running these mines in close competition with 
other companies, and at a very small profit, and I must be careful or 
I shall throw myself out of the race entirely. It is as if I had inher-» 
ited a plantation of slaves ; emancipation to them means ruin to me." 

" And yet can you hesitate ? " 

" No ; I would not hesitate a moment if I were the only one con- 
cerned. Unfortunately, I am only half owner in the mines ; the 
property of a ward of my uncle's is entangled in these mines, and I 
must give an account to her for my management of it. Again, if 
I ruin myself financially, how are the miners to live when I can no 
longer give them employment ? " 

" Can you not introduce reforms gradually, and make their lives a 
little more tolerable, if you cannot do all you wish at once ? " 

" Yes ; I think I can. I do not need quite the amount which my 
aunt insists that I must obtain from the mines. I can give up the 
winter at Vienna for one thing ; and this is why I want your opinion 
as to what it is best to do. That is, I shall want your opinion when 
I see you next, for then many things will be settled which are now in 
doubt. On the fifth of next August, by my uncle's will, there is 
to be a settlement of the estate. I shall then know just where I 
stand." 

Alice looked at Lajos with keen disappointment. " Why does he 
not tell me," she thought, " that he is betrothed to his uncle's ward ? 
Surely we are sufficiently intimate for such a confidence." But Lajos 
did not consider the disposal of his hand by his uncle's will as a valid 
betrothal. He had no intention of carrying out the conditions, and 
he was only impatient to see the young lady in order to make a satis- 
factory rendering to her of her property. His aunt and he had made 
every effort to find the missing heiress. They felt sure that the terms 
of the will must be known to her, and that she would probably be heard 
from by the fifth of August. If not, a certain portion of the property 



Il8 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

would be set aside and held subject to her demand, while Lajos would 
be free from all other obligations. 

All of this passed through Lajos' mind, and seemed to make it 
advisable for him to make no formal proposal until he could ask Alice 
to help him make the best possible use of his fortune. If he were left 
a poor man he fancied that he had resolved never to marry. Still, 
chained as he was by circumstance, the opportunity was so tempting, 
he could not let her go from him with no assurance of his deep affec- 
tion, and he added earnestly, " Trust me, Alice ; wait for me until the 
time that I have set, and believe, meantime, whatever happens, that I 
love you devotedly." 

Alice was deeply pained. It had seemed to Lajos that she must 
understand his position and be happy in the confidence that he would 
not rest until everything was satisfactorily arranged. But Alice did 
not understand. She looked him through and through with her clear, 
questioning eyes, and was dissatisfied. She believed his assurance 
that he loved her, but it brought her no comfort ; for, if this were true, 
what more natural than that he should openly and honorably ask her 
hand in marriage ? And since he had not done this, she felt con- 
vinced that the countess had told the truth, and that he was already 
betrothed. She longed frankly to ask him what it all meant, but he 
looked so true that she could not bring herself to tax him with double 
dealing. Besides, there was no longer any opportunity for confidential 
conversation. The girls were very near. " You make no comment, 
Alice, on my last remark." 

She smiled faintly. " It does not seem to me that you have said 
a great deal." 

" True enough," he replied, with a gay laugh. There was the least 
possible spice of pique in her remark, and it gave him the assurance 
which he wished. " Forget that I've said anything, until the fifth of 
August." 

He called gayly to the others to join them, and the chat became 



THE TELL FESTIVAL. 



II 9 



general. It was evident that he had said more than he intended and 
that he wished no reply. He began to talk to Margaret about the 
wonderful engineering exhibited in the Axenstrasse, a magnificent 







RAILWAY UP THE RIGI. 

road which starts from Brunnen 
and joins the St. Gothard road at 
Altdorf. 

The countess linked herself to Alice as they went down the hill, 
and kept her at her side until the day was over. 

The friends were destined to pass only a few more golden days 
together. The ascent of the Rigi was the brightest of these, with a 
glorious view from its summit, but this has been so frequently de- 
scribed by other travellers that we shall omit an account of it here. 
Margaret now felt that her visit to her aunt could not longer be 



1 20 ' THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

postponed, and as the Judge was quite ready, the two announced their 
intention of proceeding to Zermatt. 

The countess immediately decided that she would enjoy a short 
sojourn at The Riffel in view of the grandest peaks of Switzerland, 
She affected to be influenced by a wish to see the Matterhorn, which 
Lajos had formerly expressed, though he now assured her that he 
would rather do this at some other time, and that he had a strong 
desire to attend the Wagner festival at Baireuth. 

" Ah ! Wagner, Wagner! " replied the countess in a pet.- " Who is 
it cares for Wagner ! You sail let ze stove-pipe fall, and make one 
great explosion of dynamite in a shop of copper kettles, and you sail 
enjoy ze music of Wagner. You show me zoze who prefer it to ze 
Italian opera and I show you some imbeciles." 

As Cecilia and Alice had just explained that they were devotees of 
Wagner on their way to the festival, the remarks of aunt and nephew 
were equally significant. 

There was genuine regret in the parting of the girls. Cecilia and 
Margaret had made an appointment to meet again at the Fete of the 
Vignerons at Vevey, and to return to America together, but Alice 
would go on to her work in that strange land so far from our knowl- 
edge and thought, and they might never meet again. Margaret had 
felt herself strongly drawn to her, and she admired her devotion and 
self-sacrifice without having the slightest desire to emulate it. 

The countess and Lajos with the Judge and Margaret now fol- 
lowed down the valley of the Rhone to the Visp. From this poin 
the scenery became very wild and rugged, a great contrast to th< 
majestic but quiet beauty of the Lucerne region. At length tin 
grand obelisk of the Matterhorn (called also Monte Cervin and Mont< 
Silvio) rose defiantly before them like a milestone of eternity. 

" To think of any one having the temerity to climb that mountain ! " 
exclaimed Lajos ; " where is there the least crevice for the lodgmem 
of human foot ? " 



THE TELL FESTIVAL. 



121 



" It cannot be as inaccessible as it appears," replied the Judge, 
" since it has been climbed ; perhaps the other side is not so steep. 
This is a very good point of view for a photograph, however." And 
as he secured his negative, the old Judge fell in love with the moun- 
tain which has lured so many adventurous climbers on to their de- 
struction. " I am rather glad 
that we are to stay in this 
neighborhood for some time," 
he said to himself. " I shall 
find an opportunity before we 
leave to ascend that mountain, 
and there will be a fact worthy 
of the summer." It was an 
access of his old malady of 
mania scandens, which Mar- 
garet had fancied was cured, 
and which was still destined 
to give her grave anxiety. 
The party were unusually 
silent ; for it was necessary to 
proceed much of the way in 
single file, and every one was 
occupied wth his own thoughts. 
The countess was absorbed in 
conjectures respecting Marga- 
ret's relatives. " It is fortunate," 
she thought, " that I shall be 

able to see them for myself. She is probably well connected, and if 
so, and if this niece of mine never appears, there shall be further 
intercourse between these Lochwalders and myself." 

They reached the Riffel Hotel in time for an early dinner, and 
found Annette, who had come in to inquire if they had arrived. The 




THE COMFORTS OF DONKEY-RIDING. 



I 2 2 THREE VASSAR GIRLS W SWITZERLAND. 

Judge, weary with his ride, counselled a halt until the next morning; 
but Margaret was impatient to find her aunt at the Aim or summer 
pasturage. " I will go on this afternoon with Annette, grandpa, and 
we will send a guide to bring you, with the luggage, in the morning." 

A couple of donkeys were obtained at the hotel for the short jour- 
ney ; and they struck into a wild gorge, and followed the course of a 
little stream, which brawled over a rocky bed. It was the famous 
Zmvtthal, which has been described in the following graphic manner 
by a well-known traveller : — 

" Three mountain-glens unite at Zermatt to form the valley of the 
Visp. Two are occupied by glaciers — great ice streams which, 
sweeping down on either side of the Riffelberg, drain the amphi- 
theatre of peaks dominated by Monte Rosa. The other glen, how- 
ever, called the Zmvtthal, extends into the mountains for a distance 
of about six miles, before the foot of the glacier is reached, between 
the base of the Matterhorn on one side and of the Gabehorn on the 
other. Paths exist on either side of the stream, which wind gently up 
and down through noble pine woods, among the usual combinations 
of boulders and rhododendrons, brushwood and fern, Alpine flowers 
and mosses, among which creep and cling the great serpent-like roots 
of the pines. The torrent roars in the ravine below, dashing, at one 
place, through a magnificent gorge, which is spanned by a frail 
bridge." 

The character of the scenery had totally changed. The loveliness 
of the lake was replaced by the sublime grandeur of stern snow-peaks 
and savage passes, which seemed to tell of heroic adventure and en- 
durance in the lives of the inhabitants of the region. Margaret felt 
the stimulating influence of the surroundings. 

" An entirely new stage setting," she said. . " Evidently a new act 
in the drama is to be ushered in. I wonder what it will be." 






OUR LADY OF POVERTY. \ 2$ 



CHAPTER VIII. 

OUR LADY OF POVERTY. 

She knew 
She was not wise ; was conscious in herself 
Of eager impulses that would have wrecked 
Her whole heart's happiness a thousand times, 
Had not some Power from. without herself 
Shut down the sudden gates, and with its stern 
" Thou shalt notV left her stunned, perhaps, but saved. 

How could she help 

Believe that God had stooped from highest heaven 

To save her from herself. . ,„ _ 

Alice Wellington Rollins. 

MARGARET had felt a subtle premonition of the change which 
was coming, as mariners feel the chill in the atmosphere which 
announces the presence of an iceberg ; but she was far from 
guessing the depth of poverty in which she would find her false 
relatives plunged. 

" Annette," she said, as they rode on together, " I feel certain that 
you found my aunt in reduced circumstances. Is it not so ? " 

Annette nodded grimly. 

" I want to know something about her before I see her. Do not 
be afraid of shocking me." 

Annette, now that her revenge was within her grasp, was afraid to 
take it. " She will leave us in a storm of rage, and that will be the 
end of it," she thought. " It will be worth much to see her fury, but 
all money advantage to us will then be lost. It would be harder for 
her to have her humiliation come upon her by degrees. I think I will 
adopt that plan," and she replied, aloud : — 



• 124 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



" Your o-reat-aunt has one son, a widower, who lives with her with 
his two children. You would call them poor, but they consider them- 
selves well off. You will not care to visit long with them, but you 
can help them if you really care to do so." 

Up, up, up. They had left the Zmutt 
Thai and were climbing the slope of one 
of the northern ranges. 

" There is a fine view of the Matterhorn 
and the southern mountains from the edge 
of that cliff," Annette said. " If you like, 
I will hold your donkey and you can dis- 
mount and get it." 

Margaret walked to the edge of the prec- 
ipice which Annette had indicated. Off to 
the south beautiful Italy was buried from 
her view by a barrier of stern mountain 
ranges, and she felt that the life of luxury 
to which she was accustomed 
was shut from her as well. 
For a moment there was a 
wild yearning for the past, 
and a sinking of heart in 
view of the future. If she 
could have gone back she 
would; for she stood upon 
the brink of a precipice more 
dangerous than the actual one 
before her. But she realized 

that it was too late ; and she looked up at the gigantic Matterhorn so 
startlingly near. More than ever it seemed to her a milestone of eter- 
nity, grim and terrible ; but as she looked, the sunset flush transformed 
it into a thing of exquisite beauty. The deep rosy tint on the summit 




ON THE BRINK OF A PRECIPICE. 




THE MATTERHORN. 



OUR LADY OF POVERTY. I 27 

grew more and more delicate until it was lost in the snowy white of 
the sides, which again deepened into the cool green tints of the 
shadows near the base. It seemed a colossal crystal of tourmaline 
in its wonderful play of delicious color. Margaret was so absorbed 
in the spectacle that Annette called her twice before her attention 
was aroused. She came slowly away, all her nobler nature aroused 
by the glorious spectacle. " Life may be stern here," she thought, 
I but it must be heroic ; " and the lines, 

" Better not be at all than not be noble," 

flashed through her mind. 

" I wonder if it is in me to do anything really grand," she thought. 
f If my aunt is poor I will share her life, and see how these peas- 
ants really live. I should not wonder if her simple pleasures were 
really more enjoyable than the ennui of the rich." 

Something which she had read of the lives of the Swiss came to 
her mind, at this juncture. " Good, kind people, poetically minded, 
delight themselves in imagining the happy life led by peasants, who 
dwell by Alpine fountains. The time will come when, as the heavy 
folded curtain falls upon our stage of life, we shall begin to compre- 
hend that the felicity we sympathized in was intended to have been 
bestowed." "Well," she thought, in answer to the admonition, "if 
my aunt is not comfortable I will try to make her so. I am ashamed 
that I have consulted my own selfish pleasure and have delayed com- 
ing to her for so long, but I will try to do my duty all the more faith- 
fully now." It was the beginning of a new life, indeed, for Margaret. 

Annette had prepared her more thoroughly than she knew for the 
ordeal before her, and Margaret had need of the preparation. The 
sun had set when they paused at the door of a rude chalet. The 
firelight gleamed within, and an old woman stood in the door peering 
out into the darkness. Dogs barked as they approached, and two 
children came bounding down the rocky path to meet them. 



I2 8 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

u Go away, Nikolas; off with you, Katchen ! " Annette exclaimed, 
roughly shaking her bridle, which one of them had grasped. A man 
rose heavily from a bench in front of the house, and held the donkeys 
while they dismounted. 

"1st es wir Illicit duf" exclaimed the old woman, " Mein schatz, 
kind meines brudersl" (Is it really thou, my treasure, child of my 
brother?) Her face, though old and homely, showed so much real 
delight that Margaret responded to her caresses by kissing her wrin- 
kled cheek. 

" This is thy cousin Yakob, named for thy grandfather, my loved 
brother," the old woman continued, indicating the stolid-looking 
peasant who held the donkeys, " and these are his children ; but come 
in, come in, for I thought not to see thee in my poor house." 

It was indeed a poor house, like most cow-keepers' chalets, occu- 
pied only as a summer cottage while the animals were pastured on 
the heights. Mother Lochwalder had a more comfortable and better- 
stocked home in Zermatt where she passed her winters, but it did not 
seem worth while to her to bring her household goods, the tall clock, 
the best carved bedstead, the porcelain stove, the spinning-wheel, and 
the stores of linen and pewter, on mule back up the mountains, to 
their summer camping ground. Consequently the furnishings of the 
first floor of the chalet, which was one great room, were of the simplest 
kind. The chalet was built on a side hill, and the cow-stable and milk- 
room occupied the basement. A fourth of the area of the living-room 
was filled with hay, and there was a hole in the floor through which 
it could be forked into the manners. A roug;h stone hearth was built 
up on one side of the room, and here hung the great kettle used ii 
heating the milk for cheese-making. Brightly scoured tin pans wen 
ranged on a shelf near by, with a few cooking utensils of the rudesl 
description. A large table with twisted legs stood in the centre of th( 
room ; Mother Lochwalder's second-best bedstead, piled high witl 
feather beds, in the corner opposite the hay, and the cheese-press ii 



OUR LADY OF POVERTY. I 29 

another corner. A faint smell of sour milk and of smoke was diffused 
throughout the apartment ; but the room was clean, and as the two 
doors and window were both open, the ventilation was good and the 
odors not positively unendurable. Margaret approached the fire and 
sat down upon a rude bench, overcome by the poverty of her aunt's 
surroundings. Annette watched her keenly, with malicious triumph 
in her expression. Mother Lochwalder bustled about, and placed on 
the table a china bowl of rich cream and a loaf of brown bread. 
Margaret ate mechanically, and as she was very hungry, the supper 
seemed delicious. 

" Will you have tea, my treasure ? " asked the old woman. " Annette 
said you never drank it, but I have some excellent green tea with which 
I indulge myself on Sundays. I have also a bottle of wine and some 
sausages. Speak the word and I will cook them for you — delicious 
little sausages. Katchen, bring the cheese ! " 

" Yes, aunt, I would like to taste the cheese if you made it, but 
never mind the sausages or the wine." Margaret spoke gently, and 
Mother Lochwalder bustled about greatly delighted ; but the girl's mind 
was in a turmoil of rebellion and dismay. When the old woman's 
back was turned, a strange object which had been lying under the 
table, its head pillowed on the dog, crept out and approached Margaret 
on all fours. The girl uttered a shriek of fright ; for in the dusk of the 
room, so hideous was the appearance of this unfortunate creature, 
dwarfed, with long, unkempt hair, one of its bare feet twisted inward, 
its clawlike fingers tapping her knee for recognition, that at first she 
fancied that it was a great baboon. What added greatly to this 
impression was the abnormally large ears which the dwarf had the 
power of flapping grotesquely. A second glance, and the sensation of 
fear gave place to one of loathing. That pale, old face was human 
indeed, but rendered hideous by frightful contortions. The dwarf con- 
tinued to pat her knee, at the same time chattering incoherently. 

" Oh ! what is it ? " Margaret exclaimed. " Take it away, take it 
away ! " 



130 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



Annette laughed unpleasantly. " That is your cousin Nikolas," . 
she said. Her revenge was complete, and a world of exultation was 
expressed in her laugh. Tears were gathering in Margaret's eyes, and 
Annette doubted not that they were tears of rage and humiliation ; but 
she did not know Margaret. After the first horrified surprise, a great 
wave of pity swept over the girl's heart. " Poor little thing," she said, 
as Mother Lochwalder led the child away ; " can nothing be done for 
him ? Is there no possible cure ? " 

" There are asylums, but they cost money," said Yakob, the child's 
father. 

" I will pay for him," Margaret replied, promptly. " We will see 
about it at once." 

Annette was rather surprised at this turn of affairs, but she said to 
herself, " Yes, indeed, my lady, you will pay for that and for much 
more before you leave us. We will make all we can out of your brief 
visit ; for you want to get away from us as soon as you can. I see 
it in your eyes." 

Margaret rose from the table. " I am very tired," she said, in a 
voice which trembled a little in spite of the strong control which she 
endeavored to place upon herself. " I think I had better bid you all 
good-night." 

Annette lighted a candle, and led the way up a rude staircase, 
which was hardly more than a ladder, to the loft above. A partition 
across one end made a bed-ro6m, wide enough, but so low that Mar- 
garet could only stand upright in the centre. The bed, with home- 
spun blue coverlet, looked clean and inviting. An earthen jug of 
fresh water and a brown earthenware bowl were placed on a box, 
which served as dressing-table. . A coarse but clean towel lay beside 
it ; but the place where one might have expected to find a mirror was 
filled by a gaudy print of the Virgin, Our Lady of Poverty. And this 
was all the furnishing which the room contained, with the exception 
of Margaret's hand-bag. 



OUR LADY OF POVERTY. 131 

" Good-night, cousin," said Annette maliciously, as she placed the 
candle in the centre of the wash-bowl, and turned to leave the room. 

The word stabbed through Margaret's stupor like a sword-thrust. 
" Cousin ! " she exclaimed ; " my cousin ! Impossible ! " 

" I am the child of Yakob Lochwalder's sister. Your aunt is my 
grandmother. I am as nearly related to you as the rest," Annette 
replied doggedly. 

This was the unkindest cut of all. Margaret had accepted the old 
peasant woman as her aunt ; had accepted the poverty of the hut ; 
had accepted even the poor dwarf; but Annette! — her whole nature 
revolted, and for the first time the old volcanic temper surged to the 
surface. She was ready to shriek, " It is a lie ! I do not believe it. 
I never will recognize you as my cousin." By a strong effort she 
repressed the words; but she was too much agitated to make any 
other reply, and turning quickly, she walked to the window, pretend- 
ing to look out into the night, but seeing nothing. Annette had ex- 
pected an angry outburst, and was disappointed. Perhaps Margaret 
had not heard. 

" Good-night, cousin," she said again ; " since we are relatives, we 
should also be friends." 

Margaret had partly recovered herself in that brief interval. " As 
true friends as relatives," she said, simply extending her hand. It was 
a chance remark, but it struck home. Did Margaret suspect ? 

In spite of her effrontery, Annette was cowed, and she left the 
room sullenly. Margaret waited only until Annette had descended 
the ladder to sink upon the bed and indulge in a passion of hysterical 
weeping. She was overwrought, physically and mentally; but sleep 
came presently, to unbend the strained faculties, and give her strength 
for the trials still to come. 

When she awoke, the sun was shining through a hole in the wall, 
— it could hardly be called a window, — and the child Katchen was 
tapping at her door. 



132 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



" Lady cousin, lady cousin," said Katchen, " I have brought you 
some edelweiss. Grandmother said you would like it." 

Margaret rubbed her eyes, and for a moment could not realize the 
situation. It all came back to her with a glance at Our Lady of 
Poverty. " Come here, little girl," she said ; " I want to look at you." 

The child approached timidly. She was a pretty, flaxen-haired 
little creature, with eyes as blue as German forget-me-nots, and sturdy 

legs, red from paddling that morning 
in a mountain-brook. On the whole 
Margaret was pleased with her ap- 
pearance. 

" I foresee that we shall have fine 
times together, little Katchen," she 
said. " Will you take me to walk 
with you this morning?" 

" Yes, heartily ; but first you must 

come to breakfast. We have meat ; for 

father killed a steinbock this morning. 

He says it is a sign that you have 

brought us luck, for they are rare — 

very rare — and he has not been able 

to shoot one before this season. They 

would give him ten dollars for it below 

at the hotel, but he says he will not sell his luck. Hurry, lady ; do 

you not smell the meat frying ? O blessed saints ! is it not good ? " 

Margaret hastened her toilet, and was about to descend, but the 

child lingered. " What is it, Katchen ? " she asked. 

" Aren't you going to pray to Our Lady of Poverty before you go 
down ? " 

Margaret felt rebuked, and replied, " Yes, dear, I will pray, but not 
to Our Lady of Poverty. We will pray to the God of all riches, who 
is able to make us rich." And falling upon her knees, she asked for 




KATCHEN. 



OUR LADY OF POVERTY. 



grace sufficient for that day, and even as she prayed received the 
answer ; for Katchen softly opened the little window, and the rush 
of pure, cool air across her face seemed to her the swift sweeping of 
the wings of angels sent to strengthen her. 

" Look at the mountain," Katchen said, as she rose from her 
knees; and Margaret noticed for the first time that the window framed 
a magnificent view of the Weisshorn — a shining crystal miracle in a 
circle of billowy clouds, the morning mists apparently cleft through 
by a wedge of transparent glass. Again there came to her the 
exuberant uplifting of soul which she had felt on the Wengern Alp. 

" I cannot fail to be noble in 
such noble surroundings," she 
thought ; and twining an arm 
around Katchen, she joined the 
family below. Honest Yakob 
was smoking his porcelain pipe ; 
but he shut down its silver lid 
with a snap as she approached. 
" Good morning, cousin," he said 
heartily. " My daughter Annette 
here says that our ways are not 
fine enough for you, but we have 
a breakfast this morning that is 
fit for a kaiser. I went hunting 
once with the grand duke of 
Baden, who was spending a 
summer at The Riffel. We had 
no such luck as this." 

Mother Lochwalder laughed. 
"Yakob is always talking about that hunt with the grand duke," she 
said. "One would fancy that Yakob was one of the invited guests, 
when in reality he was only a pack animal like the other donkeys. 




YAKOB LOCHWALDER. 



134 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



It is well said, one must never believe a Jagdgeschichte" (story of a 
huntsman). 

Margaret expressed her appreciation and seated herself at the table 
as Katchen drew up a chair for her. 

" Nay, come first without and see the creature's head. I have cut it 
off to take to Zermatt, to the taxidermist below there. He will mount 
it, and sell it to some traveller who will boast that he has killed the 
steinbock — the liar. It is not every one who is quick enough to 
bring down a creature like that, even if he has the luck to see him." 

" Yes, take the head to the taxidermist," Margaret replied ; " but do 
not sell it. My grandfather will be glad to buy it of you, and it will 
be glory enough for him to tell his friends that he has eaten a steak 
from the animal." 

Nikolas stood outside the chalet looking at the head of the stein- 
bock. The poor deformed creature was scarcely less repulsive by day- 
light than when Margaret had first seen him ; but she repressed a 
shudder, and spoke to him kindly. 

" Horns, horns," he said, pointing to the long, curving horns of the 
steinbock or ibex. 

" He has some intelligence," Margaret exclaimed, eagerly; "he is 
not an utter cretin." 

" Oh, no," replied the father ; " mother will have it that he knows 
more than he can tell, but that he is bewitched, the unfortunate, by 
the same spell which killed his mother, who died when he was born. 
Better he had died and she had lived, for she was a good woman — 
my heart's love — my angel ! " 

Mother Lochwalder now appeared, and urged Margaret to take her 
breakfast, which she was very willing to do. The pleasant sunshine 
and bracing air gave a different aspect to the situation, and she felt 
herself better able to cope with it than the evening before. • She gave 
only a distant nod to Annette, however, who wisely kept herself in the 
background. The meat of the steinbock was strong and tough, but 



OUR LADY OF POVERTY. 1 35 

she praised it, and assured Mother Lochwalder that her grandfather 
would be delighted to have some for dinner. " And now," she said, 
after the breakfast was over, " I do not want to be a burden to you 
while we stay, so you must let us pay our board as we would have to 
do anywhere else." 

" Annette said you would not want to stay long," Yakob replied in 
surprise, while Annette herself drew near and listened wonderingly. 

" This is just the region for my grandfather ; he determined before 
we set out on this journey that he would like to do some mountaineer- 
ing in the neighborhood of Zermatt. He is not fit to climb moun- 
tains ; but if you can guide him where it is safe for him to go, it will 
be a great pleasure to him, and a great relief to me, and he will pay 
you well for it." 

A look of great delight passed over Yakob's countenance. " My 
father was a guide before me and his brother, your other grandfather, 
was also a guide, none better in Switzerland. I, too, am qualified to 
be a guide ; for I have twice climbed the Matterhorn ; but no one has 
ever hired me, no one would trust me after my uncle " — he hesitated 
— " after my uncle went to America. And so the nearest I ever came 
to being a guide was when the grand duke's huntsman engaged me to 
drive the pack mule that was to carry the game. Heillige Johannis ! 
but it was a light load altogether ! But now if I am seen guiding a 
rich American, and carrying him safely through the season, it will be 
a start in business for me for the rest of my life." 

The honest fellow's happiness was pleasant to see. " And now," 
continued Margaret, " as I promised my grandfather to send for him 
this morning, we must settle on what provision we can make for his 
comfort. As he will be out of doors nearly all the time, his wants 
will be simple. He will be satisfied with my little bed-room under 
the roof, with the few additions which I can easily make, if you can 
tuck me away somewhere else. Can I not share Annette's room ? " 

Annette uttered an exclamation of astonishment. Was it possible 



I 36 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

that this proud girl had come to this, and that she was willing to 
room with her former serving-maid ? So thunderstruck was she, that 
she did not reply. Margaret thought that she was offended by her 
coldness on the preceding evening, and her impulsive nature, which 
would never permit her to do anything by halves, prompted her to say, 
" I think you will find me more agreeable, Cousin Annette, than in 
our old relations." 

" But you cannot sleep together," said Mother Lochwalder, " for 
Annette and Katchen sleep with me, and three in one bed are enough. 
We have no rooms but those you have seen. Yakob and Nikolas 
sleep on the hay in the corner." 

" Perhaps your grandfather would be more comfortable at the 
hotel in the valley," Yakob suggested. 

"I do not like to have him away from me," Margaret explained. 
" Can I not hire furniture enough to fit up the other end of the loft 
as a bed-room ? " 

" We have furniture in plenty at the house in Zermatt," said Mother 
Lochwalder. " Annette, go down with thy father and see that a cart 
is loaded with my best carved bedstead and plenty of bedding, and all 
other things necessary, and bring it up this very day." 

" Good," said Yakob, " we will start immediately, and Katchen, yoi 
must help your grandmother mind the cows while I am gone. I will 
bring back a herds-boy from the village that I may be the freer to 
tramp it with his excellency." 

They set out at once, the head of the steinbock — a trophy. of which 
Yakob was very proud — hanging over his shoulder. 

When they had gone, Mother Lochwalder took down her alpen- 
stock and her knitting, and went out to watch the cows, grumbling a 
little to herself as she went that if it were not for this duty she would 
scrub the floor of the living-room, and make all more fitting for the 
reception of the gracious gentleman who was to be their guest. 

" What must be done for the cows? Can I do it ?" Margaret asked. 



OUR LADY OF POVERTY. I 37 

" Simply to sit in the pasture yonder, and watch that none of them 
stray, or break into the enclosed yard where the fodder is kept. If 
any of them attempt to do this, call me, and I will come and help you." 

Margaret took the alpenstock and sat down on a stone in a corner 
of the pasture. About twenty cows and a dozen calves were feeding 
within a short distance. In her heart she was a miserable coward, but 
she tried to assume a courageous aspect. Katchen was in a talkative 
mood, and told over the names of the cows. " That is Brown Velvet," 
said Katchen, pointing to a beautiful young creature with a hide like 
black plush brindled with fawn-color. " She wears the silver bell, and 
she knows that she is princess. All the others follow her, and none 
of them would dare to take the lead, nor would the others follow a 
cow that did not wear the bell. You should see the cows when they 
set out for the Aim in the early summer. The instant the collars are 
placed on their necks they understand, and range themselves in order 
of procession, and it is just so when we leave the Aim in the fall to 
return to the valley." 

" But there are other cows wearing bells," Margaret remarked. 

" Yes, but only one silver bell. Listen ; its tinkle is different from 
the rest, and as it is larger, the sound is louder and clearer. The other 
bells are all tuned to chime with the leader's. Grandmother paid 
thirty dollars for the set. See the beautiful red embroidery on the 
collars ! " 

" If all the other cows follow the leader, I should think it would be 
very important that she should be a well-behaved creature, not given 
to gadding about." 

" She is, and so teachable, at the first sound of the yodel she will 
leave the richest clover, and follow. Nikolas, yodel for our lady 
cousin, and show her how Brown Velvet will come ! " 

" Pray, do not ! " Margaret exclaimed. " I had much rather she 
would stay where she is." 

" Nikolas can yodel so beautifully," said Katchen. " You must 



I 38 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

hear him some day, but he is afraid to do it unless he is told to ; for 
once he led the cows into a distant ravine and gave father trouble to 
find them." 

Nikolas sprang from the ground and went through the pantomime 
of yodelling without uttering a sound. 

" Not now, good Nikolas," Margaret entreated. The strange 
creature replied with many uncouth contortions, and, turning a hand- 
spring, capered away toward the other side of the pasture. 

" Ought we not to watch him and keep him from straying as well 
as the cows ? " Margaret asked. 

" Nikolas ? Oh, no ! he goes where he will, and he is never lost. 
Do see him now ! he has climbed that tree like a squirrel." 

They chatted on for a little while, when Margaret was startled by 
a low bellowing, and looking up saw a huge bull between them and 
the chalet, and trotting directly toward them. " O Katchen ! " she 
exclaimed, " what shall we do ? " 

" It is Schreckhorn who has got out of his pen. Run, run ! " shouted 
Katchen, suiting the action to the word ; but Margaret was paralyzed 
with terror, and could not move. She did not notice that the bull 
was attracted not by herself, but by Brown Velvet who was quietly 
feeding just beyond her. On came the bull, when suddenly, clear 
and distinct across the pasture, like the warbling of some strange bird, 
sounded the yodel. Brown Velvet shook her silver bell and trotted in 
the direction of Nikolas, who had scrambled down out of his tree and 
skipped along with many strange antics, yodelling as he went. The 
bull turned abruptly and followed Brown Velvet, and Margaret, re- 
stored to the possibility of action by her release, ran quickly to the 
chalet. Mother Lochwalder, mop in hand, ran to the pasture and 
succeeded in getting the bull inside the pen which he had quitted ; 
but Margaret was too much unstrung to watch the cows any longer 
that day. She believed that Nikolas had seen her danger and had 
yodelled with the intention of drawing away the bull. Her gratitude 



OUR LADY OF POVERTY. 



139 



was excited, and her respect for his intelligence heightened. " He is 
not idiotic, I am sure of that," she said to herself, and when he came 
into the chalet she called him to her and tried to draw him into con- 
versation. But he was either more wanting than she had thought, or 
else he was wilfully perverse ; for he would not reply, but retired to his 
favorite resting-place under the table, and sat there nursing his knees, 
with the dancing firelight re- 



flected in his eyes, till they 
glowed like coals, and he re- 
minded her of one of the little 
mountain gnomes which the 
Germans love to imagine. 

The next event of the day, 
which followed almost imme- 
diately, was the arrival of her 
grandfather. He did not come 
on foot with Yakob, as she had 
anticipated, but in a carriage, 
and accompanied by the count- 
ess and Lajos. Margaret had 
not expected a visit from them. 
She fancied that she had parted 
from her friends finally the 

night before. Indeed, so much emotion and such an entirely new 
range of experience had been crowded into the past twenty-four hours, 
that she could hardly realize that it was only on the preceding after- 
noon that she had left the countess at the Riffel Hotel. 

The countess raised her lorgnette as she entered the chalet, and 
looked about her with undisguised scorn. 

" So this is your aunt's abode ! " she exclaimed in good German, 
abandoning her attempts at English, as she always did when greatly 
excited. " And where is the lady ? " 




A GOATHERD OF THE ZERMATT VALLEY. 



r^O THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

" She is herding the cows in the pasture," Margaret replied, holding 
her head very high, and fearing that the countess might mistake the 
flush of indignation on her cheeks for a blush of shame. 

"So — a fine accomplishment, indeed! " Yakob entered the house, 
r and hune his hat above his or Un . "And is that boor also related to 

5 " 

you r 

" He is my cousin." 

The countess laughed in a disagreeable manner. " And why, when 
you conferred upon us the honor of your acquaintance, did you not 
inform us of the distinguished station of your honorable family ? " 

" I did not know it myself, madame." 

" A likely story." 

" If my relatives and their home displease you, may I be permitted 
to remind you, madame, that you are an uninvited guest ? " 

" Highty, tighty ! But I like you the better for standing up for 
your people. Merciful heavens, what have we here ? " Nikolas had 
crept from under the table, and was feeling of the countess's robe, as 
he had felt of Margaret's the night before. " What, is it a family of 
idiots? Take the loathsome creature away!" It was only twenty- 
four hours since Margaret had been moved by a similar impulse of 
revolt, but she sprang now to the boy's side, and led him tenderly 
away from the countess, lifting the, slight, misshapen figure to a seat 
beside her on the hearth. " My cousin Nikolas is deformed, but he 
is not an idiot," she said. " He was quick-witted enough this morning 
to save my life, and I should be base not to love him for it." 

" Ah ! you mean that I have forgotten that you saved my life." 

" No, madame, I had forgotten it myself ; besides, it was not I, but 
Alice, who did it." 

" There, there, don't get angry. One would think you belonged to 
my family by the way you fly into a temper. It is no fault of yours, 
child,, that your relatives are not presentable. I like you, and I have a 
proposition to make to you. Give them a little money. Buy from 



OUR LADY OF POVERTY. 141 

them a promise that they will never trouble you again. Cut yourself 
loose from them, and I will adopt you ; for I have given up all hope of 
rinding my friend's niece. You shall take her place in my heart and 
my fortune. Come ! I am a fiery-tempered old lady, but I love you. 
That is your aunt, I presume, with the pail of swill. Which of us do 
you prefer ? " 

There was a yearning tenderness in the countess's voice, which 
moved Margaret in spite of her indignation. 

" Pardon me, dear countess, but it is not a matter of preference," 
she replied, kindly. " We do not choose our relatives. God gives 
them to us and us to them. I thank you more than I can tell, but this 
is my place, and I must stay here." 

" I said well that it was a family of idiots," exclaimed the countess. 
" I believe you are an idiot yourself. Lajos, your arm. Conduct me to 
the carriage." 

Lajos obeyed, and Margaret thought that he too had cast her off ; 
but a moment afterward he returned. 

" Miss Margaret," he said, respectfully, " allow me to assure you of 
my profound admiration." 

" And gratitude ? " Margaret added, mischievously, though the tears 
trembled on her lashes. " Are you so glad that I did not accept the 
countess's offer ? " 

" No, truly. I wish with all my heart that we had any one in our 
family so truly noble. Can you not come with us now, and later 
explain everything ? " 

" No, Lajos, I cannot repudiate my relatives." 

" Good by, then, friend Margaret. I am proud to call you so." 

" Good by, friend Lajos." 

The Judge, who had been listening in an utterly dazed manner, 
now asked Margaret to explain what it all meant. Margaret did so, 
and he assumed a judicial expression. " As between the plaintiff, the 
honorable Countess de Krajova and the defendant cow-keeperess 



142 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

Lochwalder," he said, stroking his beard with a sly twinkle in his 
gray eyes. " As between the claims of these ladies, the court, without 
having seen the said cow-keeperess, renders its decision in favor of 
the defendant ; for," he added, " that countess is a vixen and any 
variety of woman-kind would be pleasanter as a relative." 

Mother Lochwalder entered at this juncture and was duly pre- 
sented, but as the Judge could not speak German or Mother Loch- 
walder English, their greetings were confined to bows and curtsies. 

While Mother Lochwalder was preparing dinner, Margaret told 
her grandfather of the head of the steinbock which had been sent 
away to be mounted for him. She led him out upon the balcony, and 
made him admire the superb view, and even ventured with him into 
the cow-yard where Yakob was milking, showed him Brown Velvet 
and the chime of silver bells and told him of the adventure of the 
day. Then they went in to supper and the worthy man enjoyed a 
piece of broiled steinbock followed by Swiss cheese, coffee and mar- 
malade — "a dinner fit for a king ! " he declared. 

Shortly after, Annette appeared before the chalet with an ox-cart 
loaded with household furniture, and the remainder of the eventful 
day was employed in converting the loft into a bed-room for the 
Judge. 

The good man was delighted with everything. " It is like rough- 
ing it in the Rockies," he confided to Margaret, " and will make a 
capital episode in my lecture." 



LIFE AT THE ALM. 143 



CHAPTER IX. 

LIFE AT THE ALM. 

Here it may well seem to the traveller if there be sometimes hardships, there must be at 
least innocence and peace, and fellowship of the human soul with nature. It is not so. The 
wild goats that leap along those rocks have as much passion of joy in all that fair work of God, 
as the men that toil among them ; perhaps more. They do not understand so much as the name 
of beauty or of knowledge. They understand dimly that of virtue. Love, patience, hospitality, 
faith — these things they know. To glean their meadows side by side, so happier ; to bear the 
burden up the breathless mountain flank unmurmuringly ; to bid the stranger drink from their 
vessel of milk ; to see at the foot of their low death-beds a pale figure upd. a cross dying also 
patiently, — in this they are different from the cattle and the stones. — Ruskin. 



MARGARET began at once to assist in the regular home work 
at the chalet. There was plenty to be done. While Yakob, 
having performed the morning milking, was away on long 
tramps with the Judge, it was necessary that some one should watch 
the cows, and as Margaret had had enough of this occupation, Annette 
usually undertook it, and Margaret relieved Mother Lochwalder by 
making the cheese, while Katchen did the morning churning. There 
were so many operations in the cheese-making, that it occupied nearly 
all the forenoon. A trap-door led from the living-room to the milk- 
room which opened from the stable. The Judge had been their guest 
but a few days before he showed Yakob how to conduct a stream of 
water from a neighboring brook through the dairy, making a cool canal 
in which the milk-pans could stand, and to lead it after it had done 
this service into a trough in front of the noses of the cattle so as to 
do away with the drudgery of bringing water to them. The Judge 
was much amused by their primitive methods of carrying on their 
work, and was constantly inventing and suggesting labor-saving 



144 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



machines. It was a difficult feat to climb the ladder from the dairy 
with a milk-pan in one's hands, and after Margaret had spilled several, 
the Judge constructed a rude dumb-waiter, by which the milk could 
be hoisted to a height from which it could be easily poured into the 
great cauldron, into which it must be warmed before it could be con- 
verted into Swiss cheese. Mother Lochwalder would then put in the 
rennet, and Margaret would stir it continually for half an hour when 
it would be curdled, and could be strained and the curds put in the 
press. Then the whey must be carried out to the pigs, and the churn, 
milk-pails, and pans washed and scoured. All of this Margaret took 
upon herself, while Mother Lochwalder performed the other house- 
hold duties. Then there was the task of turning the heavy cheeses 
and rubbing them with salt, and after that her labor for the day was 
over. Annette had brought up the spinning-wheel with the other 
furniture from Zermatt, and after their noonday meal Mother Loch- 
walder would sit in front of the house and spin, while Katchen would 
knit interminable stockings. Margaret chose this time to instruct the 
children. She found that Nikolas had one talent of no mean order. 
Among Mother Lochwalder's treasures was a fine zither; on this 
Nikolas would play by the hour, pouncing upon the strings with his 
misshapen clawlike fingers and bringing out weird strains, imitations 
of the wind and of the cries of birds. On Sundays there were 
generally visitors at the Aim ; their nearest neighbors from other 
pastures, or old friends from Zermatt. Frequently a musician was 
found among them who would touch the zither while the others sang 
the Alpine ballads. A plaintive one was the farewell to the Aim. 

" Farewell to the pastures 
So sunny and bright ; 
The herdsman must leave you 
When summer takes flight. 

" We shall come to the mountains again, when the voice 
Of the cuckoo is heard, bidding all things rejoice ; 



LIFE AT THE ALM. 



145 



When the earth dons her fairest and freshest array, 
And the streamlets are flowing in beautiful May. 

" To pastures and meadows, 
Farewell, then, once more ! 
The herdsman must go, 
For the summer is o'er." 

During the singing of these songs Nikolas would sit spellbound, 
and after the visitors had departed would often reproduce them in 
part upon the zither. One day 
Margaret thought of the music- 
box which her grandfather had 
purchased in Geneva, and she 
set it in motion before Nikolas. 
It really seemed as if the little 
fellow would go wild with delight. 
He hugged it in his arms, and 
capered and danced ; then car- 
ried it under the table, and lay 
down with it beneath his head. 
Very patiently Margaret set her- 
self to teach him some of the 
rudiments of music. She was 
able to hire a poor piano in 
Zermatt, and she had it brought 
to the chalet and placed near the 

cheese-press. It was a difficult task, but she never wearied ; for she felt 
sure of ultimate success. Annette, though apparently absorbed in her 
embroidery-frame and in tending the cows, watched her narrowly. 
She had not had the pleasure of seeing Margaret betrayed into a 
single exhibition of temper; and she could not help feeling that she 
was thwarted in her revenge, while she wondered what had come 
over the girl, and still regarded her with cold suspicion and hatred. 




YAKOB ACCEPTS HIS RELATIVES. 



1 46 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

" I tell you,' 1 Yakob had said, when alone with his daughter, " I 
heard her, with my own ears, refuse the offer of that great lady to be 
taken away with her, and to be adopted as her niece." 

" What ! " exclaimed Annette. " Did she refuse to be the niece of 
the countess ? And for what reason ? " 

" Because, as she said, she preferred to share the lot of her own 
people. Ah ! blood is stronger than water. She has proved herself 
a true Lochwalder. I did not think, from what you said, that I would 
like her or her grandfather ; but they are as good as any of us. So 
here's to them, say I," and lifting a huge porcelain tankard of beer to 
his lips, he drained it to the dregs in honor of his new relations. 

A feeling of shame came over Annette for the first time. So long 
as she was sure that Margaret would revolt at the relationship, and 
disown it if possible, she had felt no compunction for her deception ; 
but that she should accept the situation so sweetly was something 
utterly beyond her conception, and it grew more and more galling as 
the days went on. 

No better guide could have been found for the erratic Judge than 
Yakob Lochwalder. He took him on trips suited to his strength, — 
on short and easy ones at first, — or else prevailed upon him to make 
the longer expeditions on mule-back. For a time, the Judge enjoyed 
these safe excursions immensely ; but after a time they failed to 
satisfy him. The Matterhorn was always before him, exercising the 
same fateful fascination which it had wielded over so many unfortu- 
nate travellers. It was in vain that he was told of the accidents which 
had occurred to experienced mountaineers while vainly attempting its 
ascent. He was madly bent upon it. The summit had been really 
attained by Mr. Edward Whymper, and the Judge insisted on fol- 
lowing his example. 

In her endeavor to disenchant her grandfather Margaret read hii 
one evening Mr. Whymper's account of his repeated trials and his 
final ascent, at once so successful and so disastrous, since they sue- 



LIFE AT THE ALM. 



147 



ceeded at the expense of the death of four of the party. No descrip- 
tion of the Matterhorn gives so perfect an idea of its charm and its 
danger as this thrilling story, and we insert it here : — 

"We started," says Edward Whymper, "from Zermatt on the 13th 
of July, 1865, at half-past five on a perfectly cloudless morning. We 
were eight in number. [Lord Francis Douglas, Messrs. Hudson, 
Hadow, and Whymper, and the guides, Michel Croz and Peter Taug- 
walder and his son.] On the first day we did not intend to ascend 
to any great height, and we mounted very leisurely. At half-past 
eleven we arrived at the base of the actual peak. Before twelve we 
had found a good position for the tent at a height of eleven thousand 
feet. Long after dusk the cliffs echoed with our laughter and the 
songs of the guides. 

" We assembled together outside the tent before dawn on the 
morning of the 14th, and started directly it was light. On turning to 
the eastern face, the whole of the great slope was revealed, rising for 
three thousand feet, like a huge natural staircase. 

"At 9.55 we arrived at the foot of that part which from Zermatt 
seems perpendicular or overhanging, and could no longer continue on 
the eastern side. By common consent we turned to the right or 
northern side. The work became difficult, and required caution. 
The general slope of the mountain was less than forty degrees ; and 
snow had accumulated in it, and filled the interstices of the rock face, 
leaving only occasional fragments projecting here and there. These 
were at times covered with a thin film of ice. This solitary, difficult 
part was of no great extent. A long stride around a rather awkward 
corner brought us to snow once more. The last doubt vanished. 
The Matterhorn was ours ! Croz now took the tent-pole, and planted 
it in the highest snow. ' Yes,' we said, ' there is the flagstaff ; but 
where is the flag ? ' ' Here it is,' he answered, pulling off his blouse, 
and fixing it to the stick. It made a poor flag ; and there was no 
wind to float it out, yet it was seen all around. They saw it at 



1 48 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

Zermatt, at The Riffel, in the Val Tournache. At Breuil the watchers 
cried, ' Victory is ours ! ' 

" We remained on the summit for one hour, — ' one crowded hour 
of glorious life.' It passed away too quickly, and we began to prepare 
for the descent. 

" We agreed that it would be best for Croz to go first, and Hadow 
second; Hudson, who was almost equal to a guide, wished to be third; 
Lord F. Douglas was placed next, and old Peter Taugwalder, the 
strongest of the remainder, after him. A few minutes later I tied 
myself to young Peter, ran down after the others, and caught them 
just as they were commencing the descent of the difficult part. Great 
care was being taken, only one man moving at a time. Lord F. 
Douglas asked me to tie on to old Peter, as he feared that he would 
not be able to hold his ground if a slip occurred. No one was actually 
descending when Mr. Hadow slipped, fell against Croz, and knocked 
him over. I heard one startled exclamation from Croz, then saw him 
and Mr. Hadow flying downward. In another moment Hudson was 
dragged from his steps, and Lord F. Douglas immediately after him. 
All this was the work of a moment. Immediately we heard Croz's 
exclamation, old Peter and I planted ourselves as firmly as the rocks 
would permit. The rope was taut between us, and the jerk came on 
us both as on one man. We held, but the rope broke midway between 
Taugwalder and Lord Francis Douglas. For a few seconds we saw 
our unfortunate companions sliding downward on their backs, and 
spreading out their hands, endeavoring to save themselves. They 
passed from our sight uninjured, disappeared one by one, and fell from 
precipice to precipice on to the Matterhorn gletscher below, a distance 
of nearly four thousand feet in height. From the moment the rope 
broke it was impossible to help them. For more than two hours 
afterward I thought every moment that the next would be my last ; 
for the Taugwalders, utterly unnerved, were not only incapable of 
giving assistance, but were in such a state that a slip might have been 



LIFE AT THE ALM. 



149 




THE ACCIDENT ON THE MATTERHORN. 



expected from one or the other at any moment. Immediately on my 
arrival at Zermatt I sent to the President of the Commune, and 



150 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



requested him to send as many men as possible to ascend heights, 
whence the spot could be commanded where I knew the four must 
have fallen. By 8.30 Sunday morning we had got within sight of the 
corner, in which we knew my companions must be. As we saw one 
weather-beaten man after another raise the telescope, turn deadly pale, 
and pass it on without a word to the next, we knew that all hope was 
gone." 

The bodies of the unfortunate men, with the exception of Lord 
Francis Douglas, were recovered and buried at Zermatt. 

Margaret translated the account into German for the benefit of 
Mother Lochwalder. " Ah, yes ! " she said, " I remember that expedi- 
tion well, and how every one said, l This will put an end to the foolish 
risking of life in attempting to climb the mountain.' But, no; there 
were more attempts than ever. The young men of Zermatt were crazy 
to say that they had accomplished it, and not the young men only, but 
the young women also ; and Theresa Carrel, the daughter of a noted 
guide, really got to the top. I warrant you she had offers of marriage 
in plenty after that. Then Professor Tyndal, who was often in the val- 
ley, and had tried it time and time again, would not be beaten by this 
Mr. Whymper, and at last he succeeded. And then some Italians 
gained the summit from the south. And after that every dandy who 
came into the valley with an alpenstock must needs try ; but only one 
out of a hundred succeeds, though they have cut out a path and fastened 
chains along the face of that slippery rock where the mountaineers you 
read of met their death. But look you, it is no pleasure excursion still. 
Tell your grandfather to be warned by us, and not to attempt it ; for 
this family has woful cause to dread the Matterhorn. It was fleeing 
from the revenge of the Matterhorn that your other grandfather, my 
brother, went to America ; and now it seems as if the mountain had 
drawn one of your family back by an evil spell to wreak its doom upon 
him." 

" How was it, Mother Lochwalder ? " Margaret asked. " I have 



LIFE AT THE ALM. 151 

often wondered what caused my grandfather Lochwalder to leave 
Switzerland, and I wish you would tell me the story." 

The old woman seemed inclined to comply, but Yakob spoke up. 
" There is no need of distressing her with that old scandal," he said to 
his mother. " Your grandfather, my uncle, was an honest man," he 
added, speaking to Margaret. " It matters not what others say to the 
contrary. Ask no more, for you will get only lies and sorrow for your 
pains." 

" I am glad that you can assure me that there is no stain on my 
grandfather's honor," Margaret replied. " So long as we know that he 
did only what was right it is no matter what others may say of him." 

No one replied, and Margaret left the room. As she did so, 
Annette remarked significantly, "What did I tell you! She is proud, 
proud to the core. It is well you did not tell her the truth. She 
would have dropped us as if we were offal if you had done so." 

Margaret was of course only the more keenly anxious to hear the 
entire story, but she restrained her curiosity for the time, sure that it 
would all come out in the end. For many days she puzzled over the 
mystery which connected the emigration of her supposed Grandfather 
Lochwalder with the Matterhorn, without coming to any satisfactory 
result. But one afternoon she thought that she had discovered the solu- 
tion in a story of Katchen's. Much that was weird and supernatural 
was connected with the mountain by popular tradition, and Katchen told 
her many fairy tales of gnomes and elves that inhabited its caves. The 
child informed her gravely that the top of the mountain was only a 
step lower than heaven, and that, before it had been climbed by mor- 
tal foot, the spirits of all good people who had died in Zermatt and the 
regions round had preferred to make their residence here in sight of 
their old homes rather than go quite away from their dear ones, and 
that the top of the mountain had been fitted up as a Paradise for them. 
" The streams were bridged with long loaves of bread, the paths paved 
with cheeses, the cracks in the rocks plastered with butter, and people 



152 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

amused themselves with playing nine-pins with balls made of cheese 
and pins of butter." So said the child, and she firmly believed, not 
only that holy men and women attained this Paradise, but also that 
the gentlest and most faithful animals were, at their death, transported 
thither. " Brown Velvet would have gone there," she was sure, if the 
sanctuary had remained inviolate. Old chamois hunters had said that 
sometimes they had seen herds of wonderfully beautiful chamois sport- 
ing on the sides of the mountain, and when they had shot at them the 
leaden bullets rebounded from their sides as though they were bon- 
bons, and the chamois spread out delicate wings, spotted like those of 
butterflies, and floated away to the summit. 

Herds of spirit cows, too, whose bells played celestial tunes, had 
been sometimes seen by adventurous herdsmen, who had mounted 
nearly to the top. One of these had been caught, her father had told 
her, by some relative of theirs, and had been brought to the Aim. 
It had escaped after a time, and undoubtedly made its way back to 
the mountain, but had left behind it a calf, which had been reared, 
and had become a very beautiful heifer, taking the prize at all of the 
fairs. This animal had in its turn disappeared on one moonlight 
night, when the trap-door had been left open in the kitchen floon 
It was Yakob's belief that the creature had unfolded wings, like those 
of the spirit chamois, and had flown straight up through the kitchen 
chimney to the magic mountain. Brown Velvet was a descendant 
of this wonderful creature, and it was Katchen's fear that the beautiful 
animal might sometime develop her butterfly wings and soar away, 
and she frequently stroked Brown Velvet's sides to see if the wings 
were budding. 

Margaret reminded the child of her grandmother's saying, that a 
huntsman's stories are not to be believed, and then wondered if this 
were not the crime on the Matterhorn committed by her grandfather, 
for which he had fled the country. It seemed absurd that so childish 
a fable should be believed by grown people, and yet they were all 



LIFE AT THE ALM. 



15.3 



singularly childlike, and she determined to ask Mother Lochwalder 
about it that evening. An event occurred that day which, while it 
was connected with this fairy tale, was so startling and terrible, that 
all curiosity in regard to her dead grandfather was blo.tted out by her 
anxiety for her living one. 

The story of Mr. Whymper's ascent had the same effect on the 
Judge as its first recital had had upon the fraternity of Alpine climbers 
— he was all the more eager to attempt the Matterhorn: Yakob 
manifested fortunately a great reluctance to undertake it. He had 
made the ascent, and he knew the difficulties were too great for the 
Judge ; moreover, he had a superstitious fear of the Matterhorn's 
revenge — some fatality to come to himself from the undertaking. 
He consequently continued to tempt the Judge to make many another 
excursion, to shoot chamois in the Einfisch Valley, to look for crystals 
along the edge of the glacier, and to trudge over the Theodule Pass 
into Italy. This last was a favorite scheme of Yakob's, and the Judge 
had given it his approval. " I will go around to Mont Blanc that 
way, Lochwalder," he had said, " but that will be after I have exhausted 
Zermatt and conquered the Matterhorn." 

Margaret sighed. "If Mr. Walker were only here!" she said to 
herself. 

Yakob had exhausted all the attractions of the many expeditions 
to be made with Zermatt as a centre, and as a last resort, to furnish 
an excuse for not attempting the grand ascension, he feigned a 
sprained ankle. The Judge accepted the situation. It was manifestly 
impossible for Yakob to guide him up the Matterhorn until he should 
recover. Meantime, with commendable patience, he contented him- 
self with tending the cows with Annette, Nikolas, and the great dog. 
The summer had advanced, and they had cropped all the pasturage 
in the vicinity of the Aim. It was necessary to drive them every 
morning far up the mountain, to a nook 'from which the snow had 
but lately melted, and the grass had a spring-like juiciness. They 



154 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

would set out after the morning milking, carrying their luncheon 
with them, and would not return until evening. One morning, after 
they were well on their way, a spirit of perverseness seemed to enter 
into Brown Velvet, and she deviated from the regular route, plunging 
down a path which led to the Matterhorn glacier. It was all that 
Annette could do, by placing herself directly in the way, and striking 
lusty blows, to keep the other cows from following their leader. She 
was effectually aided by the dog, and succeeded at last in getting the 
herd started upon the right path. 

" Take them on to the pasture," said the Judge, "and Nikolas and 
I will go after Brown Velvet. We will soon find her and rejoin you." 

Nikolas had greatly improved under Margaret's tuition. He 
was not really wanting, but simply very backward in expressing the 
intelligence which he really possessed, and his deformed figure so 
greatly shocked strangers that he gloated in the terror and disgust 
which he excited, and, up to Margaret's coming, had made no 
attempt to contradict the general impression that he was a hopeless 
cretin, with only a capacity for malice. Margaret was the first out- 
side his immediate family who had overcome her first repugnance, and 
had treated him kindly. She believed in his capacity and encouraged 
him to show it. The Judge, too, took a marked interest in him, and 
he began to pick up English words with a rapidity really remarkable. 
As they hurried down the mountain together, following Brown Velvet, 
Nikolas capered on in advance with great glee. He had heard 
Katchen's legend of the fairy cows, and had understood more of it 
than any one suspected ; for when they reached the glacier and found 
that Brown Velvet had disappeared from view, he spread out his arms 
to mimic the action of flying and pointed to the Matterhorn. 

The Judge understood him. " You think Brown Velvet has gone 
to the enchanted pastures on the top of the mountain ? " 

Nikolas nodded energetically, and ran on all the more eagerly, 
beckoning and calling, " Come, come ! Claus know short way." 



LIFE AT THE ALM. 



155 



" Do you really know the way to the top of the Matterhorn 1 ' 

Nikolas nodded again, very knowingly. " Claus been there," he said. 

It was possible, the Judge thought, for the dwarf was stronger 
than most men, and could run and leap and skip over the most dan- 
gerous cliffs, and face without dizziness the deepest precipices. He 
had more than once failed to come back at nightfall from his long 
rambles, and could not or would not give an account of where he had 
been. The Judge suspected that Yakob had no intention of guiding 
him up the Matterhorn, and here was a most tempting opportunity. 
The way was plain enough ; it seemed impossible to miss it ; it was 
still early in the morning They were provided with luncheon, 
with alpenstocks, matches, a pocket telescope, and compass. What 
a fine idea it would be to escape this rather vexatious surveillance and 
surprise them all by making the ascent ! He had no faith in the 
pretty fancy of the fairy cows, but he was willing to humor Nikolas 's 
belief in it in order to secure his companionship. He accordingly 
took out his telescope and pretended to be anxiously scanning the 
sides of the Matterhorn in search of Brown Velvet. At the edge of 
the glacier they met a peasant boy, and the Judge, with consideration for 
Margaret's anxiety, wrote her a note telling her of his determination, 
and that she must not be alarmed if he did not return on the next 
day. " If you can send some one with a good supper to meet us at 
the half-way cabin on our return to-morrow evening," he concluded, 
" it would be a noble idea. I have just bought a bottle of milk and 
a hare of this peasant, which will provision the expedition until then." 

The Judge hurried on with the feeling of wicked elation experi- 
enced by a naughty school-boy who is playing truant, mingled with a 
haunting fear that he might be overtaken and dragged back. On 
receiving the note, the peasant had set out immediately for the Aim ; 
but the Judge recalled him, as this last apprehension occurred to him, 
and managed to make the boy understand that there was no hurry, 
and the note need not be delivered until toward evening. 



156 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



They proceeded across the glacier with so little difficulty that the 
Judge's confidence in his young guide increased, and he felt sure 
that he must have been over the ground before. But how wide the 
glacier was ! They had been walking for a long time, and the great 
icy river was only half crossed. The Judge began to be very hungry, 
and Nikolas took a hard crust of black bread from his pocket, and 
o-nawed it ravenously. A little farther on, they came to a broken 

branch of a pine-tree 
which had been carried 
by the moving ice from 
far up the mountain. It 
was too good an oppor- 
tunity to be lost ; and 
the Judge cut up the 
branch with his great 
jack - knife, and soon 
kindled a little fire. 
"This is something 
like, at last," he said 
to Nikolas, as he de- 
lightedly warmed his 
hands over the blaze. 
" Now, if we only had 
some coffee ! However, we can heat the milk, and we can roast 
the hare." They enjoyed their picnic keenly, eating only a part 
of the hare, and wrapping up the remainder for their breakfast. 
After the meal they proceeded on their way, crossing the remainder 
of the glacier in a short time, and striking up a long couloir or gully 
between the slopes on the other side. It was shaded by high cliffs, 
and paved with smooth, hard snow, easy to walk upon. The Judge 
could not see the cabin ; but he doubted not that this was the regular 
way, and that a sudden turn would bring them to it. He trudged on 




THE REAL THING AT LAST. 






LIFE AT THE ALM. 157 

gleefully, and, ignorant of the danger which he incurred, began to 
sin^ " Marching throuo-h Georgia." The cliffs echoed the strains 
resoundingly, until it almost seemed as if a small portion of Sherman's 
army was tramping up the white road. Suddenly there was a report 
like that of a pistol ; then the Judge felt the sheet of snow on which 
he stood sliding under him, slowly at first, but with increasing rapidity. 
Nikolas shrieked aloud, " An avalanche ! " 

Swifter and swifter, like the rush of a toboggan, the cake of snow 
on which they stood sped onward. Paralyzed with terror, they 
watched the front edge of this cake crumbling and breaking into 
fine spray as they drove onward. Would the cake last until they 
reached the glacier at the foot of the couloir ? the Judge wondered, 
when suddenly a new danger loomed ahead. Right before them, 
the couloir was divided by a crag : one branch — the one up which 
they had come — leading down to the glacier ; the other, to the right 
of the rock, descended steeply for a little distance, and then ended 
at the brink of a precipice, a wide crevasse between the glacier and 
the side of the mountain. Which way would the snow toboggan 
take ? There was no means of guiding it, — and the moment of 
suspense which ensued was terrible. To the Judge's horror, the cake 
of snow struck the crag fairly in the centre, and was broken into a 
hundred pieces. Buried under the loose snow and by the following 
mass, he was still rolled on, in which direction he could not tell. 
Then there was a sense of suffocation, a fall, and he knew no more. 



158 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



CHAPTER X. 

LOST ! 

Here let us leave him — for his shroud the snow; 

For funeral lamps he has the planets seven ; 
For a great sign the icy stair shall go 

Between the heights to heaven. 

One moment stood he as the angels stand, 

High in the stainless eminence of air; 

The next he was not, to his fatherland 

Translated unaware. 

Myers. 

THE Judge was only too successful in his escapade. Annette 
remained all day with the cattle at the upper pasture. She was 
not alarmed that the Judge and Nikolas did not rejoin her ; for 
she presumed that they had been wearied by their chase after Brown 
Velvet and had decided to remain with her at the Aim. The peasant 
did not need the Judge's parting admonition to take his own time ; for 
he was on his way to a distant chalet and had decided that he could 
most conveniently deliver the note to Margaret on his return that 
evening. 

In happy unconsciousness of her grandfather's danger, Margaret 
passed a delightful day. She was relieved from the cheese-making by 
Yakob, who ceased limping as soon as the Judge was out of sight, and, 
taking a bit of embroidery and some of her grandfather's books, she 
wandered with Katchen to her favorite nook, the shelf of rock which 
commanded the grand view of the Matterhorn, the spot where she had 
paused on her way to the Aim two months before, and had bidden 
farewell to the old life of frivolity and accepted the unknown new life. 



LOST. 159 

She smiled at the trepidation and stern resolve with which she had 
approached the change. It all seemed so simple and sweet to her 
now. These poor people had received her so kindly and had taken 
her to their hearts so cordially that she loved them all. She could see, 
too, that she was doing them all good. Even Annette, though she 
was still inexplicable in her varying moods, was sometimes wonderfully 
devoted, rising early and doing all that she could for Margaret before 
it was time to drive the cows to pasture. Just how it was all to end 
she was not sure. Her parents had written inviting the Lochwalders 
to remove to America, but the old mother and Yakob were not willing 
to emigrate. They were contented as they were and too old, they 
said, to learn new ways. Yakob had given her the children, and Mar- 
garet pleased herself with thinking how pretty Katchen would change 
and improve with American influences and education. Of Nikolas 's 
musical ability she had high hopes. He was so fond of her, too, 
and would rub his shaggy head against her dress in such an affection- 
ate, doggish way, evidently striving to express by actions the love 
which he could not ££11 in words. Annette, under her unloving exte- 
rior, was passionately attached to her unfortunate cousin. At first his 
attachment to Margaret filled her with angry jealousy; but as she 
could not help seeing how patiently Margaret strove to release his 
poor imprisoned mind, she experienced a vague remorse for her own 
unworthy deception. Her revenge was not bringing her the satisfac- 
tion which she anticipated, but her pride and obstinacy kept her from 
confessing her fraud. 

As Margaret sat that morning on the brink of the precipice, she 
thought of Wordsworth's lines, — 

Beneath these mountains many a soft vale lies, 
And lofty springs give birth to lowly streams. 

Life, even here, was not so stern and savage as it had seemed at first. 
She had wished to know the real life of the poor. She had shared 



1 60 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

their experiences, and had found humble pleasures mingled with the 
toil ; for love sweetens all things. She was sure now that true friend- 
ship was better than rank or wealth. And she was thankful that so 
many friendships had come into her life. There was one friend whom 
she counted true, but from whom she had not heard for several months. 
Where among these mountain paths and glaciers was Livingston 
Walker ? She had thought of him that morning when the music-box 
played the air of Cecilia's song, — 

The winter may perish, the spring pass away, 
The summer may fade, and the year decay, 
Thou wilt be mine, thou wilt return to me : 
I've promised to wait, and I'll truly wait for thee. 

God help thee if still the sun shines on thee, 

God bless thee if before his glory thou be ; 

I'll wait for thee, and I'll not wait in vain; 

For if thou wait'st above, ah ! then we'll meet again. 

It was a lame translation, and she had scoffed at the sentiment ; 
but there was something in it which touched her now, and tears, for 
which she could have given no reason, sprang to her eyes. She 
brushed them away quickly ; for some one below the cliff was singing 
that very song. Some one was coming up the mountain-path. An 
elastic, eager footstep measured the rocky way with long strides, and 
sent the pebbles rolling down the cliff. She knew who it was before 
she looked up. Livingston Walker had come at last. It lacked only 
this to make the day a perfect one, and she greeted him with more of 
pleasure than surprise. " This is even finer than the Wengern Alp, 
is it not?" she said; and the young man acknowledged that it was. 
He had come from the Grimsel on foot by way of Visp and the St. 
Nicholas Valley ; and he had much to tell her of his adventures since 
he had last seen her on the glacier of the Aar and on the Great 
Aletsch Glacier, as well as of a trip through the Austrian Tyrol. 



LOST. l6l 

" It seems very Natural to see you again," said Margaret ; " but how 
did you know that we were here ? " 

" I received a letter from your grandfather a week since, telling me 
of your wanderings, and inviting me to come and ascend the Mat- 
terhorn with him." 

" You don't mean to encourage him in that insane idea ? " 

" On the contrary, I thought that I might be of use about this time 
in suggesting something a little more feasible, — Mont Blanc, for 
instance. I would like to make that ascent myself before I return to 
America. From his letter I judged that your grandfather was getting 
restless. He says, ' They watch me as if I were a child, and throw all 
manner of obstacles in the way of my attemping the Matterhorn ; but 
some fine day I shall give them the slip.' " 

" You are just in time," Margaret replied. " I was wishing only 
yesterday that you were here. I think grandfather ought to go away 
from this vicinity for a time. The Matterhorn exercises such a fasci- 
nation over him. I do not wonder, it is so defiantly beautiful. Look, 
Mr. Walker ! Did you ever see anything more magnificent ? " 

" It does indeed remind me of our day on the Wengern Alp," 
Walker replied. " Did you notice that avalanche ? We .are too far 
away to hear the reverberations, but the puff of snow-spray was plainly 
discernible." 

" I was just reading about an avalanche," Margaret replied. " Per- 
haps you would like to continue the reading while I embroider." 

Mr. Walker examined the book. " It is the account of the death 
of the guide Bennen, one of the best descriptions of an avalanche 
ever written. I will read it with pleasure : — 

* "' On Feb. 28, 1864, we (M. Gossett and M. Boissonnet) left Sion 
with Bennen to mount the Haut de Cry. We started at 2.15 a.m., 
in a light carriage, that brought us to the village of Ardon, distant six 
miles. We there met three men that were to accompany us as local 
guides. . . . We had to go up a steep snow-field about eight hundred 



1 62 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

feet high. It was about one hundred and fifty feet broad at the top, 
and four hundred or five hundred at the bottom. Bennen did not 
seem to like the look of the snow. He asked the guides whether 
avalanches ever came down this couloir, to which they answered that 
our position was perfectly safe. Having arrived at one hundred and 
fifty feet from the top we began crossing. At about three-quarters 
of the breadth of the couloir the two leading men sank considerably 
above their waists. The snow was too deep to think of getting out 
of the hole they had made, so they advanced, dividing the snow with 
their bodies. This furrow was about twelve feet long, and, as the 
snow was good on the other side, we had all come to the false con- 
elusion that the snow was accidentally softer there than elsewhere. 
Boissonnet advanced, and we heard a deep, cutting sound. The snow- 
field split in two about fourteen or fifteen feet above us. The cleft 
was at first quite narrow, not more than an inch broad. An awful 
silence ensued. It lasted but a few seconds, and then it was broken 
by Bennen's voice, " Wir sind alle verloren." His words were slow 
and solemn ; they were his last. I drove my alpenstock into the snow, 
and brought the weight of my body to bear on it ; it went in to within 
three inches of the top. I then waited. It was an awful moment of 
suspense. I turned my head towards Bennen to see whether he had 
done the same thing. To my astonishment I saw him turn round, 
face the valley, and stretch out both arms. The ground on which 
we stood began to move slowly, and I felt the uselessness of my 
alpenstock. I soon sank up to my shoulders. The speed of the 
avalanche increased rapidly, and before long I was . covered up with 
snow, and in utter darkness. I was suffocating, when with a jerk I 
suddenly came to the surface again. The rope had caught. I was 
on a wave of the avalanche, and saw it before me. It was the most 
awful sight I ever witnessed. The head of the avalanche was pre- 
ceded by a thick cloud of snow-dust, the rest of the avalanche was 
clear. Around me I heard the horrid hissing of the snow, and far 






WShp-Amm , ill, ^^ws 

pi; • ■ IS li 

i ' " * 'i ' i ,n 



WBSjttM, 



,,';Jf 






••4~;\V 



*»■; 



i' 



»1 



: 



} > ** If 

Hi) •'', | ''/ 






LOST. 165 

before me the thundering of the foremost part of the avalanche. To 
prevent myself sinking again, I made use of my arms, much in the 
same way as when swimming in a standing position. At last I noticed 
that I was moving slower ; then I saw the pieces of snow in front of 
me stop at some yards distance ; then the snow straight before me 
stopped, and I heard on a large scale the same creaking sound that 
is produced when a heavy cart passes over hard, frozen snow in 
winter. I felt that I also had stopped, and instantly threw up both 
arms, to protect my head in case I should again be covered up. I had 
stopped, but the snow behind me was still in motion. Its pressure 
on my body was so strong that I thought I should be crushed to 
death. This pressure ceased as suddenly as it had begun. I was 
then covered up by snow coming from behind me. My first impulse 
was to try to uncover my head, but this I could not do. The 
avalanche had frozen by pressure the moment it stopped, and I was 
frozen in. Whilst trying vainly to move my arms I became aware 
that the hands as far as the wrist had the faculty of motion. The 
conclusion was easy — they must be above the snow. I set to work. 
At last I saw a faint glimmer of light. The crust above my head 
was getting thinner, but I could not reach it any more with my hands. 
The idea struck me that I might pierce it with my breath. After 
several efforts I succeeded, and felt suddenly a rush of air toward 
my mouth. After a few minutes I heard a man shouting. What a 
relief it was to know that I was not the sole survivor : three others 
were alive. I was at length taken out. The snow had to be cut 
with the axe down to my feet before I could be pulled out. When 
I was taken out of the snow the cord had to be cut. We tried the 
end going toward Bennen, but could not move it. It went nearly 
straight down, and showed us that there was the grave of the bravest 
guide the Valais ever had. The cold had done its work ; we could 
stand it no longer, and began the descent. In five hours we reached 
Ardon.' " 



166 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



"How shocking to leave the poor man in that way!" Margaret 
exclaimed. 

" It was impossible for them to do otherwise," Mr. Walker replied, 
" and even if they could have exhumed him at once, they would have 

found only his lifeless body." 

" What folly mountaineering is ! " 
Margaret exclaimed. " No one has a 
right to risk life unless for the sake 
of saving life." 

As she spoke, Katchen came tow- 
ard them. " Grandmother has come 
back from Zermatt, and dinner is 
ready. I told her there was company 
and I have cooked some sausages and 
cabbage." 

" What a pretty child ! " said Mr. 
Walker. 

" This is my little cousin Katchen," 
Margaret replied. " Did not grand- 
father tell you that we had found 
my relations ? They are very worthy 
people, and I am very fond and proud 
of them." 

To say that Mr. Walker was not 
surprised to find that Margaret was 
connected with such lowly peasants, would be untrue. He shook 
hands, however, with Mother Lochwalder — who congratulated herself 
that she had on her best clothes — and with Yakob — in his poorest — 
with a simple friendliness which had nothing in it of condescension, 
and accepted, with evident pleasure, the invitation to remain and 
share the Judge's loft, until they should set out upon their expedition 
to Mont Blanc. Down in his heart of hearts he was very happy. He 




MOTHER LOCHWALDER. 



LOST. 167 

loved Margaret, but had feared that this love would bring him only 
grief, for hitherto he had not dared to hope. It seemed to him that 
with all her grand qualities she was haughty and unapproachable. 
He saw her now in another character, stooping so sweetly to these 
humble people, and he said to himself, " She has come to understand 
real values ; when she decides it will be from the highest motives." 

Annette returned a little later than usual that afternoon ; for she 
lacked Brown Velvet's assistance in marshalling the herd. She was 
surprised at not finding the pet cow in her stall, and Yakob was 
equally astonished at not hearing her bell as the cattle came down 
the mountain. " Have not Judge Houghton and Nikolas returned? " 
Annette asked. 

" Surely not. Have they not been with you all the day ? " 

There was great alarm in the chalet when Annette explained how 
the Judge and Nikolas had gone in search of Brown Velvet, early in 
the morning. 

" The fairy cow has led them straight to the Matterhorn," said 
Mother Lochwalder. 

" It needed no elfin spell to do that," said Margaret ; and their 
worst fears were realized when a little later the peasant arrived, bear- 
ing the Judge's cheerful missive. 

" We must organize a search-party at once," said Mr. Walker. 

" We shall have moonlight, and we can overtake them before 
morning at the cabin," said Yakob, " if we set out at once. You and 
I will be enough to bring them back safely: let us waste no time in 
getting men from Zermatt ; we know well enough where they have 
gone." 

He took down a coil of rope and a small pickaxe, while Mother 
Lochwalder filled a flask with Kirchenwasser and trimmed a lantern. 
" Hang this outside the cabin if you find them," she said. " We will 
take the spyglass and watch from the cliff." 

Mr. Walker ran back after he had started. Margaret hurried to 



1 68 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

meet him, thinking that he had forgotten something. He took her 
hand, and said earnestly, " When I bring your grandfather back safe, 
Miss Margaret, I shall have a request to make of you. Can you give 
me the hope that you will grant it ? " 

"Yes, yes. Of course — anything," Margaret replied, not com- 
prehending him. " But hurry. And Nikolas. Remember, you must 
bring Nikolas too." The girl's heart sank as she saw them go ; and 
she called back the old peasant who was setting out for Zermatt, and 
sent a note by him to one of the best guides in the town, asking him 
to get together a party of the most intrepid mountaineers to follow 
Mr. Walker and Yakob. Then there was nothing to do but to wait — 
the hardest task of all. The sun was setting, when, from their post 
of observation, the women saw the two men begin to cross the glacier. 
They had found the Judge's trail, and followed it with happy confi- 
dence. The moon had risen before the setting of the sun, and with 
the aid of the glass, the three women saw their friends cross the great 
white highway, — only two little black specks moving so painfully and 
slowly, as it seemed to the eager watchers, though they were really 
making very good time. 

It will be remembered that the cake of snow, which carried the 
Judge and Nikolas down the couloir, split in two against a pinnacle 
of rock, and that one half swept downward to the glacier, while 
the other carried the unfortunate mountaineers down a branch 
couloir into a crevasse at some distance from the point at which 
they began their ascent. Before Mr. Walker and Yakob had finished 
crossing the glacier, they saw plainly enough that a recent avalanche 
had descended the very couloir to which the track they were following 
led. Fresh snow obliterated the footprints, and the Judge's alpen- 
stock, which had been whirled from his hand by striking against the 
pinnacle, and had followed the course of this part of the snow-slide, 
lay at a little distance. The conclusion was most natural that the 
Judge himself and his little guide were buried under that mass of 



LOST. 



169 



snow. Yakob began to dig wildly near the spot where he had found 
the alpenstock. Walker strode up and down, carefully examining the 
snow for other indications, and hallooing at intervals. 




Marga- 
ret saw the 
pause at 
the foot of 

the couloir, and the wavering mo- 
tion of the lantern as Mr. Walker 
carried it from one side of the 
avalanche to the other, and imme- 
diately surmised that they had 
come upon some casualty. At 
the same time, Annette uttered 
an exclamation, and pointed to a 
line of men connected by a rope like so many beads on a rosary, 
crossing the glacier lower down. " It is the rescuing party from 
Zermatt," she said; "but they do not see father and Mr. Walker, 



RESCUING PARTY ON THE MATTERHORN. 



170 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND, 



and are going to begin the ascent of the mountain at another point, 

and will be of no help." 
" If we could only at- 
tract their attention by- 
signals of some sort," 
Margaret suggested, 
"and make them un- 
derstand that they are 
needed in the other di- 
rection." 

They lighted torches 
of pine fagots, and 
waved them frantically ; 
but with no effect. The 
human rosary wound 
around the base of the 
mountain, and was lost 
to view. Mother Loch- 
walder groaned, and 
wrung her hands. 

" Perhaps grand- 
father and Nikolas have 
really succeeded in 
reaching the cabin," 
Margaret suggested; 
" and it is all for the 
best that the men have 
gone that way." 

" No, no ! " replied 

Mother Lochwalder. " Yakob would never stop where he is now if 

some dreadful accident had not happened." 

" It is all my fault," Margaret said penitently. " If I had only 




ON THE MATTERHORN. 



LOST. 



171 



allowed Cousin Yakob to go with grandfather, he would have brought 
him back safely." 

" Praise be to the Virgin, that he did not go with him," Mother 
Lochwalder replied. " If your grandfather had been lost under Ya- 
kob's guidance, our family would have been cursed indeed. It is just 
what I have been dreading ever since you came, — the punishment of 
the crime of one of your ancestors visited upon another. I knew the 
Matterhorn would have justice done, and I have sometimes feared that 
Yakob might have to pay the debt Better so, than that two innocent 
ones should perish. But I am thankful that it cannot be said that 
he was the means of their destruction,," 

" What do you mean, aunt ? " Margaret asked, entirely unable to 
comprehend her meaning. 

" She is wild," Annette replied. " The anxiety of this night has 
crazed her. Pay no attention to what she says, she has lost her wits." 

" You speak lies, granddaughter," replied the old woman shortly. 
" My lady grand-niece has asked to know the reason why my brother 
left his native land, and lived under an assumed name in a distant 
country. I will not conceal it from her any longer. Know, my child, 
that your Grandfather Lochwalder was one of the best guides in the 
country ; but one woful day he guided a wealthy man up the Matter- 
horn." 

" Well ? " 

" No ; it was not well. The man was not experienced in moun- 
taineering. He slipped, and was dashed in pieces on the rocks a 
thousand feet below." 

" Horrttfle ! " Margaret replied. " Poor grandfather how he must 
have suffered ! " 

" Yes ; poor man, poor man ! Better have lain in the place of the 
traveller,- dead, in the deep ravine, for the finger of scorn was pointed 
at him by every hand in the valley; and his old friends turned the 
cold shoulder, and would not recognize him." 



172 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN" SWITZERLAND. 



" Why, I think they ought to have sympathized with him in his 
great misfortune." 

" They said that they were tied together ; and if the rope had held, 
the stranger would have been safe ; for my brother was strong and able 
to brace himself like an ox, and the stranger slender and of light 
weight." 

" But if the rope broke, it surely was not grandfather's fault." 

" The rope did not break. They who found the body brought it to 
the Commune. The rope was cut clean in two by the sharp blade 
of a hunting-knife. They said that my brother had led the man to a 
dangerous spot; and when he was pulling on the rope to help him- 
self up the slippery way, the scoundrel with one gash had cut the 
cord, and let him fall to his death, meaning to find and rob the body 
afterward." 

" But it was a lie, aunt ; they were all liars. Cousin Yakob said my 
grandfather was an honest man. It is impossible that my grandfather 
could have committed such a crime. He may have been poor, but he 
could not have been wicked." 

Annette laughed a cruel, bitter laugh. " Why not your grand- 
father, as well as another? Do you think that you are not also 
human ? Now you know something of the troubles of the poor. It 
is not hunger of body or mind which is hardest to bear, but shame for 
evil deeds of our own and of those we love — deeds to which you 
rich are never tempted. My great-uncle did not deliberately commit 
murder for the sake of gold. The man had fallen over the side of the 
precipice. The rock on which the guide stood was slippery ; with one 
hand he had grasped a bush, and he felt to his horror that it was 
giving way. It was not possible for him to brace himself, for his feet 
could gain no hold on the icy rock. It was a question whether one 
man or two men should perish. He had but an instant to decide ; 
and — he confessed it to his sister — he did cut the rope." 

Margaret uttered a low cry. " The coward ! he should have died 
first!" ^ 



LOST. 173 

" It is easy to say that," Mother Lochwalder replied. " The poor 
boy realized it himself afterward. But what can we do when our 
friends choose wrongly ? Only forgive them, and love them, and try 
to help them bear their shame with them as best you can. When I 
saw my brother grovelling on the floor before me and asking me to 
kill him, I, said, ' Brother, we must not commit two crimes. Go to a 
new country and live a new life, and God will know what is best for 
you here and hereafter.' He wound the rope which he had cut about 
his body underpins shirt. ' I shall wear it till my death,' he said, 'to 
keep me from forgetting my crime.' I packed a sack with his clothes, 
and he set out by way of the Theodule Pass ; but the townspeople 
were watching all the roads, and they were posted there, too, and they 
dragged him back to jail. He knew that he would be tried for murder 
and hung, and he could not bear it. The window of his cell overlooked 
a ravine ; and one dark night he removed a bar and fastened one end 
of the rope to the grating. Then he squeezed through the upper part 
of the window and descended the rope hand over hand. When he had 
reached the end he was still many feet above the ground. He was 
afraid to let go, and might have swung there until he was caught, — 
for you say right, he was a coward, — but the rope which had held the 
poor traveller on the Matterhorn broke under my brother's weight, and 
he fell to the ground, bruised, but not badly injured. The Theodule 
Pass was not guarded that night ; for they thought him safe in prison. 
I never saw him again, or heard from him or his until Annette, who 
went away to America long after, wrote me that she had found you." 

The story was told, and Margaret wound her arms around Mother 
Lochwalder. " You were right, dear aunt," she said. " All we can 
do is to love the erring, forgive and help them, and bear the conse- 
quences of their sin. I accept this legacy also, and I will try to help 
you bear your trouble." 

Annette looked at Margaret in a dazed way. She could not believe 
her ears. "Such goodness is not human," she thought. " It is only 



I 74 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

the stress of this intense excitement which has brought out such a 
theatrical declaration. To-morrow, when her grandfather is found, she 
will shake us all off and leave us." 

Mother Lochwalder was wearied with watching and emotion, and 
Margaret led her gently inside the chalet and persuaded her to lie 
down. Mother Lochwalder urged Margaret to follow her example. 

" You will make yourself ill, and be of no service when they come 
back," she argued. " You are as white as a ghost now." 

" I am cramped with sitting still ; I am wild from doing nothing," 
Margaret replied. " I am going down to the glacier." 

" You cannot see as much there as here." 

But Margaret did not hear her. She could bear the inaction no 
longer, and had hurried down the mountain-side. Annette followed, 
telling herself fiercely that Margaret's anxiety was all for her grand- 
father, and that she cared nothing for the poor lost child. 

The Zermatt glacier is impressive even in daylight. Ruskin has 
best described it in this inimitable word-picture : " Higher up the ice 
opens into broad white fields and furrows, hard and dry, scarcely fis- 
sured at all except just under the Cervin, and forming a silent and 
solemn causeway, paved, as it seems, with white marble from side to 
side : broad enough for the march of an army in line of battle, but 
quiet as a street of tombs in a buried city, and bordered on each hand 
by ghostly cliffs of that faint granite purple which seems, in its far- 
away height, as ' unsubstantial as the dark blue that bounds it ; the 
whole scene so changeless and soundless, so removed, not merely from 
the presence of men, but even from their thoughts, so destitute of all 
life of tree or herb, and so immeasurable in its lonely brightness of 
majestic death, that it looks like a world from which not only the 
human, but the spiritual, presences had perished, and the last of its 
archangels, building the great mountains for their monuments, had 
laid themselves down in the sunlight to an eternal rest, each in his 
white shroud." 



LOST. 175 

As Margaret stood upon the edge of the glacier in the ghostly 
moonlight, she was almost overpowered by its awful loneliness and 
sublimity. She walked a little way forward, and then a great trem- 
bling seized her and she stood still. She had lost one grandfather 
this night. Her ideal, chivalric grandfather, who had left Europe an 
exile for the sake of his conviction, was no more. In his place she 
must accept the memory of a fugitive criminal. And her own loved 
Grandfather Houghton, with the boyish heart, — where was he? Sud- 
denly, far off across the snow-field, she saw Mr. Walker and Yakob, 
and oh, joy ! between them they supported the dear old man, rescued 
from a living grave. After the first wild thrill of joy she looked again 
for Nikolas. He was so tiny she might well have missed him. 
Surely he was following behind the rest. Annette overtook her, 
and she begged her anxiously to look. " You can see better than I, 
Annette. Where is Nikolas ? " 

" He is not with them. He must be lost." 

The three came on, with white, sad faces. 

" Nikolas ! " cried Margaret, " where is Nikolas ? " The tears were 
streaming down the Judge's face ; he could not reply, and Yakob 
answered solemnly, " It is the revenge of the Matterhorn. A stranger 
was killed that one of our family might live, and now Nikolas pays the 
debt. God's will be done." 

" Oh, no, no ! " Margaret exclaimed. " It is not the will of our 
Father in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish ! You 
found my grandfather. Why did you not dig further and find Cousin 
Nikolas ? " 

" Our strength is exhausted," Mr. Walker replied. " We could do 
no more." 

" The other party has gone up the mountain ; I will go after 
them ! " Margaret exclaimed. 

" You are crazy ! " Annette exclaimed. " Do you not see that your 
grandfather is nearly fainting, and the others are worn out ? Between 



I 76 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

us, we will get him to the chalet. What matters it if a poor deformed 
dwarf is lost ? " 

" My dear cousin, you can help grandfather. I will go to Zermatt 
and get together more men, and show them where to go." 

Mr. Walker called to her, " Come back ; it is of no use ! " but they 
could not stop her, she was running down the path that skirted the 
glacier. The moon had set and the dawn was breaking gray and 
chill, and she looked like a phantom of the mists. " God bless her," 
said Yakob reverently, " how she loves the boy ! " 

And Annette, winding her strong arm about the Judge, as she 
supported him up the path toward the chalet, felt all the bitter waters 
of hatred toward Margaret ebb from her heart, and a great surging 
wave of love roll in. " Is there any hope ? " she asked of Mr. Walker 
and Yakob, who were tottering after her. 

" We found the Judge in a shallow crevasse, only partially buried," 
replied the younger man, " and we went over the entire avalanche, 
thrusting our alpenstocks deep into the snow at near intervals. Noth- 
ing living could exist below that depth." 

" No," added Yakob, with a sob. " My boy is dead, — but God 
bless her all the same ! " 



THE WAGNER FESTIVAL. 



177 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE WAGNER FESTIVAL. BAVARIA. 

MRS. NEWTON, Alice, and Cecilia, after the departure of the 
others for the south, turned their steps toward the northeast. 
By making a slight detour from the direct route to Zurich, 
they could visit the celebrated abbey church of Einsiedeln ; and though 
it was not yet time for the great annual pilgrimage, when a hundred 
and fifty to two hundred thousand pilgrims from all parts of Europe 
visit the spot, they determined to take it on their way. 

The abbey is built on the summit of Mt. Etzel, in a wild, desolate 
region near Lake Zurich. 

Tradition states that Meinrad, a noble of the family of Hohenzollern, 
about one thousand years ago, felt called upon to withdraw from the 
world, and devote himself to the care of an image of the Virgin given 
him by Saint Hildegarde, Abbess of Zurich. In 803 he was mur- 
dered, but two pet ravens pursued the murderers to Zurich and caused 
their arrest. They were executed on a spot where now stands the 
Raven Inn. 

The three friends stopped at this inn, and after very simple refresh- 
ment, mounted to the great monastery which now occupies the site 
of Saint Meinrad's cell. 

Erberard, another count of the same family, founded this convent 
here in 948, the emperor granting lands. The Bishop of Constance 
was to consecrate the church, but was awakened by angelic minstrelsy 
and the confirmation that the ceremony had already been performed 
by the Saviour. 



I yS THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

Pope Leo VIII. pronounced it a true miracle, and granted indul- 
gence to all pilgrims who should visit the abbey. The spring from 
which the holy hermit drank has been so conducted into a system of 
water-works, and gushes from fourteen different pipes in front of the 
church. The pilgrims feel it necessary to drink from each of these 
pipes, a hydropathic treatment which may be beneficial for certain 
disorders. Within the church they were shown the Virgin of Saint 
Meinrad, an ugly doll of black wood, resembling the devotional images 
so common in Spain. It was dressed gorgeously in gold brocade and 
jewels, and the walls of the church were hung with votive offerings 
from penitents and pilgrims. There were crutches left by the lame 
who fancied that they had been healed, wax figures of deformities, for 
which deliverance had been sought, and rich gifts of gold and silver 
from those who asked plenary indulgence, not only for past, but for 
contemplated crimes. The pope's remission of sins is inscribed in 
letters of gold over the door of the church, " Hie est plena remissio 
pecatorum a poena et a culpa," and many a guilty soul still seeks this 
shrine to roll away its weight of sin. 

The reformer, Zwingli, began his preaching here, and boldly 
declared at this centre of idolatry, " Christ alone saves, and he saves 
everywhere. Do not imagine that God is in this temple more than in 
any part of creation. Whatever be the country in which you dwell, 
God is around you and hears you." 

As the girls were shown the beautiful objects of the goldsmith's 
art, left as votive offerings, Cecilia uttered an exclamation of surprise. 
" Only look at this, Alice," and she pointed to a silver vinaigrette, " it 
is undoubtedly the one which the countess lost; see, it bears the 
engraved crest, a mailed hand holding a firebrand." 

Mrs. Newton asked the sacristan who had given the object; but 
the man could only tell that it had been donated during the previous 
week, by an unknown woman who had confessed to the priest in 
charge. 



m^ '—-'''' 




: ■ , , ''., ..', 



THE WAGNER FESTIVAL. l8l 

" It was undoubtedly Annette," said Cecilia. " But I am aston- 
ished; for Margaret assured me that, during her long stay with her 
mother, the girl has always been strictly honest. Annette never 
could do the simplest thing without the greatest secrecy. I have 
fancied for some time that she had something on her conscience 
which is troubling her. Doubtless, she has been here at Einsiedeln 
to seek absolution for this first theft, and is now on her way to her 
people. But what could have induced her to steal the thing ? " Cecilia 
questioned, much puzzled. It was impossible to induce the guardians 
of the church property to give up the vinaigrette on their testimony ; 
and the travellers continued their journey, without being able to 
arrive at an explanation of the mystery. 

They had left Switzerland, and with only a brief stop at Stuttgart 
and Nuremberg, proceeded to Baireuth, where they had planned to 
spend several weeks in the enjoyment of the Wagner Festival. It 
was not the regular year for it; but fortunately for them, the Em- 
peror of Germany had requested a special performance of the 
operas, and they, with many other tourists, would benefit by the 
request. 

The friends reached Baireuth, a small town in Northern Bavaria, 
in the latter part of July. The sleepy old town seems surprised by 
the sudden notoriety forced upon it by the festivals which are held 
here in honor of Wagner. Hundreds of visitors from every part of 
the world are attracted by the musical treat. No adequate accommo- 
dations are provided for them ; and the townspeople incommode them- 
selves, and huddle into corners, without furnishing the necessary room 
for their guests. 

The girls walked from house to house, and at last were obliged 
to content themselves with very inconvenient quarters. If the rooms 
were undesirable, they had the merit of cheapness. Frau Selig, the 
honest hostess, had no idea of taking advantage of the demand for 
lodgings by charging an extortionate price. American enterprise, in 



182 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



such a place, would build palatial hotels, and would make a high 
percentage on the money invested. 

The concerts had been in progress for two weeks, and would last 
a month longer. They were held in a theatre built for the purpose, 
on a hill about a mile from the town. A performance was given 
three times a week. The opera of " Parsifal," being the favorite, was 

given every week, while the 
programme for the other days 
was changed frequently. 

The opera played the first 
afternoon after the arrival of 
the three friends was " The 
Meistersinger." Taking their 
landlady's pretty daughter, Min- 
na, with them, _ they drove out 
through the shady avenue in 
the early afternoon, enjoying the 
beautiful view from the summit 
of the hill. The performance 
began at four in the afternoon, 
and continued for one hour, when 
there was an intermission of an 
hour, during which the audience 
strolled in the woods at the back 
of the theatre, or patronized the cafe, returning for the second act ; 
after which another hour of intermission occurred, followed by the 
third and last act, the concert ending at about nine o'clock. 

The girls were struck, on entering the theatre, by one marked 
peculiarity. There were no lights, and the auditorium was quite dark. 
This was Wagner's desire, in order that the attention of the audience 
might not be distracted from the music by familiar faces, or by mag- 
nificent costumes. No one attends these operas to see or to be seen, 
but simply and solely for the sake of the music. 




FRAU SELIG. 



THE WAGNER FESTIVAL. 



183 




For a similar reason the orchestra is sunk below the stage, that the 
dark figures of the musicians may not silhouette against the foot- 
lights, and the attention be drawn 
by the fine bowing of a violinist, 
or the energetic movements of the 
conductor's baton. 

They were early, and in spite of 
the dusk, Minna pointed out the dif- 
ferent boxes opposite the stage. 

" Those are the Starr sisters," said 
Minna, indicating two old ladies. 
" They were friends of Wagner, and 
have not missed a single performance 
since the festival was instituted. That 
is his son Siegfried Wagner, who is 

speaking with them. The central box belongs to Frau Cosima. 
See ! the gracious lady is taking her seat." 

"Who is Frau Cosima?" asked Mrs. Newton. 

" Who but the widow of the great Wagner, and the daughter of 
Liszt ? " 

" Then why is she not called Frau Wagner ? " 

" It is her Christian name ; we call her so in loving familiarity, 
just as if I were to call you by your Christian name, Lady Alice. 
She is the lady of this region ; she was always Cosima to her hus- 
band and her father, and she will always be Cosima to us. The 
other boxes are occupied by royal personages, and by distinguished 
musical artists. Those seats cannot be had for mere money. Hush, 
the orchestra are beginning ! " 

All listened with rapt attention, while the most famous singers of 
Germany presented even the most subordinate parts. 

During the intermission they wandered through the grove, and 
were surprised to find that the greater part of the audience ignored 



1 84 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



the cafe, and seemed in haste to seek the most solitary by-paths. 
" You thought that Germans cared only for good things to eat, did 
you not ? " asked Minna. " Ah, no ! we are the most sentimental 
people in the world. Why is that tall man taking such long strides 
over the rocks ? It is that he may get away from the crowd and sit 

down by himself and meditate." 
The girls sympathized with 
the sentimentalist during the 
first intermission, but at the 
second recess, the claims of 
hunger could not be disre- 
garded, and they sustained 
their higher natures by a visit 
to the cafe and a liberal re-in- 
forcement of pretzils and coffee. 
The charm of Baireuth grew 
upon Cecilia, as she lingered 
under its influence ; but Alice 
said one morning : — 

" I am beginning to tire even 
of our delightful tour ; I long to 
get to my real work among my 
dear Bulgarian girls." 

There were tears in her 
kindly eyes which were not 
those of self-pity ; for Alice had 
become interested in Lajos for his own sake. What he had told 
her of the poor miners had made her feel that he was not altogether 
selfish. He had said that he wished her to visit his estates, and tell 
him how he could improve the condition of his tenants ; but she had 
heard nothing from him since they had left Lucerne. The conclu- 
sion was natural that he did not care for her, and that his philan- 




A DEVOTEE OF WAGNER. 



THE WAGNER FESTIVAL. 



I8 5 




thropic impulse was only a momentary one, or that he was entirely 

bound by his aunt's whims. With this feeling, Alice put Lajos 

resolutely from her thoughts, and forced 

herself to be interested in the musical 

festival. 

They had been in Baireuth a little 

over a week before she attended the 

opera of " Parsifal," which is generally 

conceded to be Wagner's masterpiece. 

Alice had been prejudiced against Wag- 
ner's music, but with Cecilia at her side 

to explain, the noble moral purpose of 

this work opened before her, and she 

understood the grandeur of conception listening to "parsifal," no. i. 

and the elevation of soul which must 

have stood behind such a composition. Not only was the poetry 

itself dignified in form and of high order technically, — and this she 

had not expected, as Wagner's fame as a 
musical composer overshadows that which 
he might have won as an author, — 
but the old myth of the Holy Grail was 
ennobled in its elaboration in a manner 
quite worthy of Tennyson. The plot of 
" Parsifal " reminded the girls of the 
"Idyls of the King" and the other Ar- 
thurian legends ; for curiously enough 
the same traditions of Arthur's court 
and his knights of the Table Round 
exist in Germany, and like the English 
legends, have a Breton origin. The 

grail was a chalice of chrysolite which Christ is supposed to have 

used at his last supper with his disciples. It was the favorite quest 




LISTENING TO " PARSIFAL," NO. 2. 



lS6 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

of the knights of Arthur's court, but only he whose heart was pure 
could succeed. 

During: the intermission between the second and third acts Alice 
and Cecilia followed the general custom in strolling through the grove 
at the back of the theatre. This is a favorite resort for people from 
Baireuth, and is frequented by many who do not attend the operas. 
Seeing so many persons walking about, the girls, who had not hap- 
pened to hear the trumpet signal which announced the opening of 
each act, did not realize the flight of time, and found when they 
returned to the theatre that the performance had begun. They were 
not allowed to disturb the audience by passing down the aisle to their 
seats, and the usher could only find a chair for Cecilia, so that Alice 
found herself standing alone at the back of the darkened auditorium. 
Presently a gentleman in the next row became aware that a lady was 
standing, and politely offered her his seat. Alice demurred, but in 
the midst of her hesitation found herself placed in the seat with gentle 
firmness. It was Lajos, beaming with a delight which seemed actually 
to illuminate his features. " This poor Parsifal has found his grail at 
last," he said with a joyful earnestness which gave the low-spoken 
words a double and personal meaning. . 

He stood behind her throughout the remainder of the act, bending 
once to take the opera-glass which she handed him, and keeping a 
firm, steady hold of her hand until the falling of the curtain. 

Alice knew from that quiet hand-clasp that all her doubts and 
fears had been groundless ; her knight had been wandering in no 
palace of Klingsor. 

After the close of the performance he led her to his aunt, who had 
a better seat nearer the front. Having just arrived, Lajos had beer 
obliged to content himself with what he could obtain, and the happv 
chance had occasioned their meeting. " I would have found you in 
any- case," he said afterward, " if I had found it necessary to searcl 
from door to door." 



THE WAGNER FESTIVAL. 



I8 7 



The countess received Alice graciously, and inquired where they 
were staying. " I shall call on your mother to-morrow," she said, " to 
make arrangements for our journey down the Danube, which I trust 
we can make in company." 

" There are delightful rides to be made on horseback in the vicinity 
of Baireuth," said Lajos. " Have you seen the ruined castle of Stein 
in the Fichtelgebirge ? Can we not make up a riding-party for 
to-morrow? Your mother and my aunt can be driven in an open 
carriage, and we can be their outriders." 

This plan was adopted with acclaim ; but 
on the following morning Cecilia found her- 
self suffering from headache, and could not 
be induced to accompany the party. It was 
to be an all-day's excursion, and Frau Selig'r, 
stout hand-maidens lifted a well-filled lunch 
hamper into the carriage. Alice, in a hand- 
some green cloth riding-suit, and Lajos, in 
an Austrian riding-costume, mounted on 

spirited but gentle horses, led the way. They picknicked in the pine 
woods, and crossing a spur of the Ochsenkopf, returned toward even- 
ing by another route. It was a charming excursion ; but they made 
no attempt to climb to the " Bake Oven," the hut erected by the Ger- 
man Alpine Club on the summit of the Schneeberg ; nor were they 
greatly interested in the enchanting views of Franconian Switzerland, 
which opened to them at intervals ; nor in the fantastic legends which 
Richter found in this delightful region ; and yet they had much to 
talk of, and the long ride through the shady forest seemed a very 
short one. 

When mother and daughter joined each other in their own room, 
there were tears in Mrs. Newton's gentle eyes. 

" The countess has proposed for your hand for her nephew," she 
said. "This is no surprise to you, my daughter?" 




MRS. NEWTON. 



i88 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND . 



" Lajos has explained everything," Alice replied. " He did not 
feel at Lucerne that he was free to ask any one to be his wife. Even 
now he does not know whether he offers me the hand of a compara- 
tively poor man, or that of the owner of the mines. If a young 
lady to whom he was betrothed in childhood by his aunt and uncle, 
and whom he has never seen, is found before the fifth of August, he 
must either marry her — and this he says he will never do — or give up 

all his fortune. It is all so strange ! 

Did the countess tell you about it ? " 
" Yes, my dear; and I assured her 

that I would be better pleased if Lajos 

were not wealthy, and your fortunes 

were more equal." 

" But in that case he would not 

be able to benefit these poor people, 

for whose welfare he is so much 



concerned." 

" The countess tells me that there 
is no longer any probability of any 
claimant appearing," said Mrs. New- 
ton. " Long ago she exchanged a 
pledge with a dear friend, that the 
children in whom they were most in- 
terested should marry; but the friend died, and the niece has never 
been heard from, though search has been made for her in Europe 
and America. She will probably never appear, and her little fortune 
will remain in Lajos's care, its income legally at his disposal." 

" And as long as it rests in this way he can use the income for 
the poor miners. It is this that reconciles me to the giving up of 
my work in Bulgaria. The Board can find some one else to take 
my place there, but there is no one interested to send a missionary 
to these poor Magyar miners. Lajos says I can go on with the 




ON' THE FICHTELGEBIRGE. 



THE WAGNER FESTIVAL. 1 89 

same work that I have been doing ; it will only be a change of scene 
to people a little more forlorn and forgotten of the world." 

" You will have an opportunity to see them soon, for the countess 
desires us to visit with her. She wished the marriage to take place at 
her chateau ; but it seemed to me better that you should proceed to 
your mission, and take charge there until some one can be secured 
to take your place. I think I might take it, Alice, if the Board would 
accept me. I am not so young as you, but I am vigorous, and can 
look forward to twenty years more of active service." 

" Dear mother, Lajos wishes you to make your home with us." 

" Not at first, dear. I shall come to you when I can no longer be 
useful at the mission ; but I shall be happier to feel that I have still 
my own work in the world ; and it will be better for you to grow to 
understand one another without me. I shall be very near, you know, 
just over the border, and can go to you, or you can come to me, when- 
ever we need each other." 

Mrs. Newton was very firm, and this plan was accordingly agreed 
upon. It seemed to her wise heart that the countess formed an ele- 
ment of sufficient difficulty in the new household without complicating 
it by the addition of another outsider. But the whimsical countess 
seemed to have transferred the affection which she had formerly shown 
to Margaret to Alice. Any mention of Margaret would bring out a 
tirade against low-born peasants, and she would assert positively that 
there had always been something common about Margaret, in spite of 
her attractive qualities. 

" Ze blood will tell," she remarked sententiously. " She have ze 
sprightliness of foots of a chamois. Zat come from her ancestors, who 
have been long climbers of ze Alps. When she wear ze peasant cos- 
tume, did I not say to her, it is more becoming to you as to ze uzzers, 
you wear it as if you have been use to it for always ? " 

This was undeniable ; but Alice was somewhat astonished by her 
next assertion, that Margaret's inability to do anything at the time 



190 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



when Alice had saved the countess's life had convinced her that Mar- 
garet was only a trifling butterfly, while there was something grandly 
noble in Alice, which was well worthy of confidence and affection. 

" I see many a trial for you in the fickleness of the countess," Mrs. 
Newton remarked to her daughter. 

" There are trials everywhere," Alice replied, " and Lajos, at least, 
is not fickle." The happy confidence with which she said this told 
how perfect was her trust. But Lajos had not yet undergone the final 
test of his affection ; at least so said pretty Minna Selig, who, dressed 
as a Hungarian gypsy, told his fortune in a Dresden tea-cup a few 
nights before they left Baireuth. 

" Beware," she said in sport, " a dark, tall woman who is coming to 
make trouble between you. She is your Fate, the final test of con- 
stancy. If your engagement survive her appearing, all will be well." 

There was much merry joking after this dismal fortune, and during 
their remaining stay every tall, mysterious-looking stranger was laugh- 
ingly called the Fate; but before the close of the musical festival, 
Mrs. Newton and Alice, the countess and Lajos, left Baireuth in 
company to sail down the Danube to the old chateau in the Car- 
pathians. 

The betrothal had so filled the minds of both Alice and Cecilia 
that it was not until the day before she left that it occurred to Alice 
to mention the vinaigrette which they had seen at Einsiedeln. The 
countess agreed with them that it was very mysterious. 

" I care for zat vinaigrette more especially," she said, "for because 
it is ze only souvenir I have of my tear friend, Margaret Du Fais. 
She gave it to me ze day we make our scheme for Lajos and her 
niece. ' Keep it, my tear,' she say, ' and when you shall see it, you 
shall sink of zis petrothal.' I have kept it all zese year, and when 
I lose it I say to myself, It is a sign that my tear friend absolve me 
from zat promise. I shall see it no longer, zerefore I shall sink no 
more again to find her niece for Lajos. I am glad ze vinaigrette is 



THE WAGNER FESTIVAL. igi 

in a shrine of sacred objects. It was already sacred wiz me. I 
could not sink it in ze window of ze pawnproker." 

And so they went away, all smiling and happy, not realizing that 
Lajos's test was all the time steadily approaching. Cecilia lingered in 
Baireuth. She enjoyed the musical atmosphere of the town, and she 
intended to remain here until it was time to join Margaret at the 
Fete of the Vignerons at Vevey. One day, as Cecilia was taking her 
morning walk, she noticed a tall, angular woman approaching from 
the railroad station. "If Lajos were here," she thought, "we would 
all say, ' There is your Fate.' " Something familiar in the figure 
struck her, and she looked again. It was Annette Stauffer. 



192 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



CHAPTER XII. 

\ ■ 

THE FAIRY COW. 

AS Margaret sped on through the gathering mists, it seemed to 
her that she heard, across the glacier, the faint tinkle of a silver 
bell. Was it Brown Velvet ? Very likely ; but she had no time 
to investigate the sound ; she reached Zermatt much exhausted. 

The most experienced mountaineers had gone up the Matterhorn, 
but another party of peasants was quickly formed. While they were 
preparing shovels, picks, and ropes, a thoughtful woman brought 
Margaret a bowl of hot coffee, and a mule was found on which she 
rode back with the rescuers. She showed them the trail across the 
glacier to the avalanche, and then mounted to the chalet, falling into 
Annette's arms in a dead faint, from utter exhaustion, as she reached 
the door. 

When she came to herself she was lying on Mother Lochwalder's 
feather-bed, and the noonday sun was shining across the floor. Mr. 
Walker lay on the hay in the opposite corner sleeping soundly. 
Yakob sat in an attitude of great dejection beside the table. Mother 
Lochwalder was stirring something over the fire. She came to the 
bedside a few moments later with a bowl of soup. ". Have they come 
back ? " Margaret asked. 

The old woman nodded, her face working frightfully. 

It was needless to ask anything further, and Margaret drew the 
poor, bereaved woman down beside her. After a few moments, she 
rose and asked for her Grandfather. 

" He is in bed," said .Mother Lochwalder, " and doing- well." 



THE FAIRY COW. 1 93 

Margaret stole up to the loft, but finding the Judge sleeping peace- 
fully did not disturb him. As she came down the ladder, she saw that 
Yakob Lochwalder stood just outside the door and that he beckoned 
to her. She walked with him out to her favorite seat. 

" Annette asked me to give you this," said Yakob, taking a letter 
from his pocket. 

" Where is Annette ? " asked Margaret. 

" She has gone away." 

" Gone away ! where ? " 

" I don't know. When the men that you got together came back 
and said there was no hope, Annette went into one of her queer fits, 
and said that she must go away, but would come back after a while, and 
she wrote this letter and told me to give it to you. Annette is a 
strange girl, but she loved her little cousin, and his loss has nearly 
crazed her. She cannot bear to stay here, I suppose. I can under- 
stand the feeling." 

" When did she go away ? " 

" Only an hour ago. She must be in Zermatt now waiting for the 
diligence to Visp." 

Margaret began to tear open the letter, when her eye was caught 
by the words, " Not to be opened until I am far away." Margaret was 
too honorable not to regard the request, and her hand slipped down- 
ward to place the letter in her pocket. 

Instinctively, at the same time her gaze turned toward the glacier. 
A little lower than the spot where the fateful accident occurred, it 
seemed to her that she saw a dark speck upon the shining whiteness. 
As she looked at it more attentively, she was positive that it moved. 
She dropped the letter and caught Yakob's arm. His eyes were 
•better than hers. " It is a cow," he said ; " how could she have crossed 
the ice-field ? " Margaret told him of the sound of the bell which she 
had heard the night before, and Yakob hurried to the chalet for the 
telescope. After a long, earnest gaze, he handed the glass to Marga- 



194 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

ret. " It is Brown Velvet," he said; " I suspected it. Now does it not 
seem as if she must be a fairy cow ? For in the first, how could she 
have reached the point where she is without wings ? and then, why 
should she want to go there at all unless it is to seek the Paradise on 
the Matterhorn ? All the same, I am going after her ; she is too 
good a cow to lose." 

" You are too weary." 

" No, I have rested ; and I cannot bear sitting still and doing 
nothing. I cannot even dig my poor boy's grave." 

He rose heavily, and went into the chalet for his alpenstock, axe, 
and rope, and calling the dog, went down the path. Mr. Walker came 
from the chalet with him, and came toward Margaret. 

" Are you rested ? " she asked. 

" Perfectly," he replied seriously ; " but my mind is not at rest. 
Vou will remember that I told you that if I brought your grandfather 
back, I should have something to ask you." 

A sudden comprehension of what he meant swept over Margaret. 

" Oh, no, not now ! " she cried. 

" But you promised to listen to me, Margaret." 

" If you brought Nikolas, too." 

He made a despairing gesture. " And, since that is impossible, I 
am to go away, and never come back ? " 

" I did not say that. But this poor family is in such trouble, that 
it is wicked for us to be happy." 

He sprung toward her, with a great light on his face ; but she 
avoided him. " I mean it is wicked for us to think of ourselves now. 
Yes, I do want you to go away for the present, and, meantime, think 
of Cecilia's song." 

Again he strode toward her; but Margaret was half-way to the 
chalet, and Mother Lochwalder stood in the door. He could only ask 
the old woman for his knapsack, and take his leave. 

Margaret went to her grandfather ; he, too, was awake and well, but 



THE FAIRY COW. 



195 



much shaken by his experience, and thoroughly cured of his desire to 
climb the Matterhorn. He descended to the living-room, partook of 
some supper, and watched Mother Lochwalder and Katchen while 
they brought the cows in from the main pasture, and performed the 
evening milking. Margaret set the chalet in order, and came and sat 
beside her grandfather. They were both thinking of Nikolas. Should 
they never see the elfish little fellow again, seated among the cattle in 
the pasture, making his grotesque, whimsical faces, or playing delight- 
edly upon the zither? 

Suddenly a sweet, low tone thrilled through the quiet, like the 
vagrant harmonies which he loved to waken. Margaret looked about 
her furtively. There was no one in sight, and yet the weird music 
was very real and near. Was it indeed true that the spirits of Zer- 
matt peasants lingered after death near their old homes, loth to leave 
the pleasant pastures even for Paradise ? A moment's search revealed 
the source of the strange sounds. It was really the zither, with which 
Katchen had propped open the window, and the evening breeze was 
playing upon it as on an aeolian harp. Margaret sighed, when she 
made the discovery. It was sweet to think that Nikolas was near. 

He was nearer than she thought. When the cake of snow on 
which the Judge and Nikolas were carried down the couloir split in 
two against the rocky buttress, they were carried in different direc- 
tions, — the Judge, to the glacier, down the path up which they had 
climbed ; and Nikolas, lower down into a ravine in the mountain 
leading to a crevasse between the mountain and the glacier. The 
snow beneath him broke his fall. The snow that followed partially 
buried him; but the boy struggled to the surface, in no way injured 
by his adventure. He wandered down the long, narrow ravine to 
the crevasse, whose steep sides were formed on the one hand by a 
wall of rock, and on the other by one of ice. He walked along it 
for fully a quarter of a mile, but could find no way of mounting to 
the surface. If he had had his pick, he could easily have cut steps 



j 96 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

in the perpendicular wall; but unfortunately he had nothing with 
which to dig, not even a jack-knife. Night came quickly, and although 
it was midsummer, the icy wall made the ravine, wide as it was, very 
cold. To keep off the deadly chill, he spent the entire night walk- 
ino- up and down the ravine. He shouted at intervals, but he was 
too far away from the rescuers to be heard. . How long the night 
seemed ! The moon looked down upon him, and he sang and chat- 
tered to her, — scolding her at first, for her indifference to his misfor- 
tune, and finally beseeching her to help him. But the moon gave 
him no help beyond lighting him over the rough places, and giving 
him a feeling of companionship. Toward morning, even she withdrew ; 
and there were several hours of darkness, which gradually brightened, 
through murky mists, into a cold, gray dawn. To keep his heart 
up, in this most dismal part of his experience, he yodelled cheerily to 
the lady moon, with the childish hope that he might lure her back. 

Evidently the moon did not hear him ; but there was a friend who 
caught the faint sound of the distant yodel, and who made her way 
•painfully across the glacier toward him. That friend was Brown 
Velvet. Margaret heard her bell as she started on her trip, but she 
did not hear the call which had attracted the faithful animal. When 
the sun rose, Nikolas, who was slapping his arm across his chest, and 
stamping his half-frozen feet, heard the musical tinkle of the silver 
bell, and looking up, saw the cow looking down wistfully at him. 
The sight revived his sinking courage. He sang and danced, and 
talked to her most affectionately. 

" Good Brown Velvet ; dear, beautiful, wise Brown Velvet ; unfold 
your butterfly wings, and float down into the crevasse, and bear me 
up to the Paradise on the Matterhorn. You see that I am dead and 
buried, Brown Velvet." 

The cow continued to regard him plaintively with her great 
gazelle-like eyes. 

"Ah! I see, then, that I cannot be dead; for it is only dead 



THE FAIRY COW. 



I99 



people that go to Paradise. Then, Brown Velvet, go back to the 
Aim, and tell the people to come and fetch me." 

The cow lowed as though striving to call the boy's friends, but did 
not leave him. 

" I am hungry, Brown Velvet. I wish you were near enough for 
me to milk you. Ah ! I had forgotten ; here is the rest of the hare 
safe inside my blouse. It will make a 
good breakfast. I wish I could give you 
some." Nikolas improvidently devoured 
his entire provision, and somewhat re- 
freshed, set himself to walking again, the 
cow following him along the edge of 
the crevasse. All day long he wandered, 
fruitlessly striving to extricate himself 
from his predicament. He managed 
about noon, with a sharp stone, to cut 
some steps in the ice, and mounted 
nearly to the surface, but fell back and 
twisted his ankle, so that he could walk 
no longer. He was ready for dinner 
now, and so was Brown Velvet. She had 
drunk a little melted snow water, but 
had begun to think regretfully of the 
pastures and fodder-rack of the Aim. 
She turned, and Nikolas heard her bell 

tinkling off into the distance. It seemed to him that he had lost 
his last friend, and he yodelled loudly. The cow, true to her training, 
returned, but wandered restlessly about the spot. Nikolas knew that 
he could not live through another night in the ravine now that he was 
deprived of the power of keeping himself warm by walking. He 
wondered, too, how he was to provide himself with dinner or supper, 
and regretted his greediness of the morning. He remembered one 




A PEASANT OF ZERMATT. 



200 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

of his father's fabulous hunting stones of how a chamois hunter 

had fallen into an abyss so deep that it was impossible to find ropes 

long enough to pull him out ; and his true love came every morning 

and threw provisions down to him, and continued her ministrations 

until her lover died of old age. 

His ankle was swelling, and he wrapped it in snow, and then, 

dragging himself back into the ravine as far from the glacier as 

possible, tried to dig a little cave for himself in the mountain side, 

where the stony wall was crumbling, but soon found that this was 

useless. Some crows sailed over far up in the blue, and he wished 

hungrily that he had his father's gun, that he might bring one down 

for supper. His strength and courage were ebbing fast, and he tried 

to repeat his little evening prayer, but could only remember the first 

two lines : 

O, Jesu mein, ganz bin ich dein 

Im Leben und im Sterben. 

It seemed to him that he heard his father calling the cows and singing 
a stanza of the familiar " Ranz des Vaches." It was no dream; for 
Brown Velvet heard it, too, and frisked away from the brink of the 
crevasse. He tried to yodel, but the sound died in his throat in a 
hoarse gurgle, and he lost all consciousness. 

Yakob had only come part way across the glacier, and had then 
sent the dog to drive Brown Velvet to him as he stood calling her. 
The dog obeyed his bidding, frisking about the cow in wide circles 
and driving her toward his master. In one of these circles he looked 
down into the crevasse and spied Nikolas. Instantly the intelligent 
creature stood still and barked to attract his master's attention. But 
Yakob was weary, and thinking that the dog was attracted by some 
wild creature, paid no attention to him and proceeded to drive Brown 
Velvet toward the chalet. When he had almost reached the side of 
the glacier he saw Mr. Walker coming toward him. 

" You are going to leave us ? " he asked. 



THE FAIRY COW. 



20i 



" For a time ; but I will come again and take charge of Judge 
Houghton. Don't let him make any excursions in my absence." 

" No fear of that; he has had enough, — and I, too." He turned 
and whistled to his dog, to hide his emotion. " What ails the beast ? 
I believe he is bewitched. If I had not this cow to attend to I would 
go over and bring him back in my arms, 
lame as I am from our tramp." 

" Wait a few minutes, and I will get 
him." 

Yakob did not say " I thank you," but 
he looked it ; and Mr. Walker sprang 
cheerily over the ice, never feeling the 
ache of strained muscles for the great 
joy which filled his heart. He called 
the dog, as he approached, but the ani- 
mal only danced about and whined. He 
tried to catch him, but he would not be 
caught, snapping at him viciously when 
his hand was almost on him. At last 
he began to wonder what made the ani- 
mal act so strangely. " Perhaps there 
is something in the crevasse," and peer- 
ing over the edge he, too, discovered — 
Nikolas ! Then what a cheer he sent 

ringing through the air ! Yakob understood it. There could be but 
one meaning to such a triumphant shout ; and Yakob gazed at him for 
a moment, his face transfigured with joy, then forgetting his stiff joints 
and weariness, and crying, "My boy, my boy!" came leaping across 
the glacier. 

Mr. Walker looked again at Nikolas, and his heart misgave him. 
" Is he dead ?" he thought; "are we too late?" He walked up and 
down the edge of the glacier, looking for a way of descent, but soon 




A PEASANT WOMAN OF THE 
ZERMATT VALLEY. 



202 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

saw that there was none. He called to Nikolas, but the boy did not 
rouse ; and there was his father coming toward them so joyfully. He 
could have bitten his tongue for shouting, and yet unaided he could 
not reach the boy. 

Yakob reached him and looked over the brink, his expression of 
eager hope changing at once to terrified anxiety. " I have my rope 
with me," he said. " You must lower me into the crevasse." 

"You are too heavy," Mr. Walker replied. "I could never hold 
you. 

" True. Then I will lower you — quick ! " 

Yakob attached the rope, and bracing himself carefully, let Mr. 
Walker down into the ravine. The young man took up Nikolas, and 
fastened the rope about him, and Yakob drew his son out of the 
crevasse. He was so absorbed in bringing the boy to consciousness 
that he quite forgot that Mr. Walker was still below,, and was setting 
out for home, when he was recalled by a rather impatient shout from 
the crevasse. He returned quickly, and a moment later Mr. Walker 
was on the surface. "He is alive!" Yakob exclaimed; "but I must 
get him to the chalet as quickly as possible. We were not a moment 
too soon." 

Yakob carried his son across the glacier, but at this point his 
strength gave out, and Mr. Walker bore him up the mountain side 
to the chalet. It was a strange but joyful little procession which Mar- 
garet saw coming as she stepped out into the moonlight for a last view 
of the valley before retiring. First the good dog, barking loudly, as 
though he wished to inform the family of the good tidings, then Mr. 
Walker with Nikolas in his arms, after him Yakob limping along with 
the assistance of his alpenstock, and last of all the fairy cow, quite 
tired of her escapade, and following willingly to her manger. 

" I have brought him," Mr. Walker exclaimed, as he laid Nikolas in 
Margaret's arms, " and now I claim your permission to speak. — I must 
not be put off any longer." 



THE FAIRY COW. 2O3 

"No longer, dear friend," Margaret replied. " It is a night of joy 
for all of us." 

But Mr. Walker did not rest even now. He saw that the exposure 
to which Nikolas had been subjected had rendered his condition 
critical, and though nearly worn out by his exertions, he returned 
to Zermatt for a physician. Fortunately an eminent English sur- 
geon was stopping at one of the hotels, and ordering Walker to bed, 
he grasped his case of instruments and set out at once for the 
chalet. 

With the exception of badly frozen ears, Nikolas 's injuries were 
found to be slight. When the surgeon had skilfully amputated these 
enormous deformities, Margaret was surprised to find how the face 
gained. His long locks would cover the cropping, and the other fea- 
tures had always been good, but he had been in the habit of distorting 
them with hideous grimaces. Lately, however, a more intellectual 
expression had come into his face, and as the boy lay sleeping peace- 
fully, Margaret foresaw that it would develop into something very like 
beauty. He would always be petite, but his only deformity now was 
the twisted ankle, and this the surgeon was sure could be straightened. 

Mother Lochwalder and Yakob were full of happiness and grati- 
tude, and were willing to entrust Katchen and Nikolas entirely to 
Margaret. She accordingly decided that as soon as the Judge and 
Nikolas were able to travel she would proceed with them and with 
Katchen to Vevey. Mr. Walker persuaded them to go by way of 
Mont Blanc, and to reach this point by a little tour into Italy. The 
recovery was so rapid that in ten days' time they were ready to 
set out, and the Judge, Margaret, and Mr. Walker took their last view 
from the favorite lookout. 

Just before leaving Margaret remembered Annette's letter. " I 
must have left it on my* lookout just as we discovered Brown Velvet 
on the glacier." 

She went in search with Katchen, but could find no trace of it, 



204 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



until Katchen cried, " Brown Velvet is munching something over 
there in the pasture." 

The child ran to her and pulled a piece of paper from between her 
teeth. It was torn and faded ; they could just make out that it was 
Annette's letter, but that was all. Her confession was quite illegible, 
and Margaret left the Aim, bidding a regretful farewell to Mother 
Lochwalder, her dear aunt, as she still thought her. Yakob, who had 
already suggested this trip, went with them as guide as far as Aosta. 




THE GREAT ST. BERNARD AND MONT BLANC. 205 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE GREAT ST. BERNARD AND MONT BLANC. 

Long could I have stood 

With a religious awe, contemplating 

That house, the highest in the ancient world, 

And destined to perform from age to age 

The noblest service, welcoming as guests 

All of all nations and of every faith — 

A temple sacred to humanity ! 

Mont Blanc is the monarch of mountains, 

They crowned him long ago, 
On a throne of rock in a robe of clouds, 

With a diadem of snow. 

THE party made the excursion on mule-back by way of the Pass 
of St. Theodule to the village of Breuil, and thence up the Val 
de Tournache to Chatillon, where they spent the night. All 
the way they had magnificent views of the Matterhorn and the Italian 
ranges. The Judge bore the journey in its easy stages very well, and 
to Nikolas the widening of his horizon seemed and was the opening 
of a new life. 

At Aosta Yakob bade them farewell with tears in his honest eyes, 
and returned with the mules to Zermatt. 

,The valley of Aosta is justly celebrated for its beautiful scenery, 
Mont Blanc rising grandly in the north. Cheever says of it, " I have 
seen Mont Blanc from all the best points of view, with every advan- 
tage ; but all taken together, no other view is to be compared for its 
' magnificence with this in the Val d'Aoste." 

Margaret came to the conclusion that there were so many sublime 



206 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



and beautiful views amf>ng the Alps that comparison was impossible. 
She could not tell whether the Jungfrau and her wonderful brothers, 
Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn, or Mont Blanc were the more admirable. 
She would not rank them, as her grandfather did, according to their 
height, — 

Mont Blanc . 15.784 feet - 



Monte Rosa 

The Dom 

Lyskam 

Weisshorn 

Matterhorn 

Finsetraarhorn 

Aletschhorn 

Breithorn 

Jungfrau 



15,223 feet. 

14,935 feet. 

14,889 feet. 

14,804 feet. 

14,705 feet. 

14,039 feet. 

13,803 feet. 

13,685 feet. 

13,671 feet. 



It was nothing to her that the Jungfrau stood last in this list of 
high peaks, and that the Rigi was only 5,905 feet in height, a mere 
mole-hill in the catalogue. She remembered the mountains by the 
sensations which they had awakened ; and according to this scale the 
Jungfrau stood first for beauty, and the Matterhorn for terror. Mont 
Blanc lifted itself now, a monument of solemn thanksgiving and 
consecration. She could not forget that she had just received her 
own back from the dead, and that she rode along this beautiful valley 
in the first days of her betrothal, her life crowned by one of the richest 
gifts this world can give — a good man's love. Livingston Walker 
shared the same sentiment of awe. His happiness seemed too great 
to be true ; and often, as his gaze rested on Margaret, there were 
happy tears in his eyes. The Judge had given his blessing; and 
although the engagement was referred for its final seal to Margaret's 
parents, there was no question as to what their answer would be. It 
would be a long engagement, for he had his way to make in the world. 
And Margaret knew that the adoption of the two Lochwalder children 



THE GREAT ST BERNARD AND MONT BLANC. 207 

would make such heavy draughts on her own liberal allowance that 
her wedding day must be postponed in consequence. But she did not 
hesitate, nor did her betrothed disapprove the generous action. "It 
is not generosity at all," Margaret had insisted, " but simple justice, 
for they are my ow~n family." 

And so to both these young people Mont Blanc was the " monarch 
of mountains," not because it was the highest in Europe, or because 
the views in its vicinity greatly excelled those of the Jungfrau, the 
Matterhorn, or the Aletschhorn, from the great glacier where Walker 
had recently been wandering, but because he had no joy in his heart 
to keep it warm in that great sepulchral chamber, and because Mar- 
garet viewed this scene with infinitely greater elevation of feeling 
than she had hitherto experienced. 

They rested for a day at Aosta, and examined its Roman ruins, — 
an amphitheatre and a triumphal arch, — for it is a very ancient city, 
rebuilt by the Emperor Augustus, who stationed here three thousand 
soldiers, and its name is a corruption of Augusta. 

St. Bernard was archdeacon of the cathedral- of this city, but left 
the charming valley, in the year 962, to found the hospice in the cruel 
mountain pass, for the succor of travellers who, without this shelter, 
would not infrequently perish in the storms. 

This was their next objective point ; and here they were hospitably 
entertained by the monks. Few realize what it is to live always 
among the snows ; for even in summer, water always freezes here in 
the morning ; and in the winter the roads are covered with enormous 
drifts, sometimes forty feet in depth. Ten or twelve of the brethren 
of St. Augustine remain here, isolated from the rest of the world, 
through the dreary winter season. They are all young men, selected 
for their physical powers ; but pneumonia and consumption frequently 
fasten upon them, and they do not live out the period of their vow, 
which is fifteen years. Their labors are arduous, and necessitate their 
going out in all weather. There is a shelter lower down upon the 



208 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

road, where belated travellers frequently take refuge, and the monks 
visit it with their dogs every morning, and bring any one whom they 
may find to the convent. A grave young man of eighteen, who had 
recently taken the vow, showed our travellers the buildings, and 
explained everything. The hospice is of gray stone, very solid, but 
bare, and suggesting a penitentiary. The young monk showed them 
into the parlor, where there was a piano given by the Prince of 
Wales, and a harmonium, by the composer Blumenthal. This was 
the first good piano that Nikolas had seen ; and he pounced upon it 
like a bird of prey upon a lamb, and could with difficulty be dragged 
from it. 

" I am glad," said Margaret to the monk, " that you have such 
a good collection of books with which to while away the weary 
hours." 

The young man smiled. " The hours are indeed weary," he 
replied ; " but not from lack of employment. Besides the work of the 
house, and the care of our dogs, cows, and mules, the search for 
the lost, and the entertainment of guests — a never-failing occupation 
during summer — is the cutting of wood. The difficulty of trans- 
portation renders fuel expensive ; and we lay in vast stores of fagots, 
of wood, and of hay, for the winter consumption." 

The mention of dogs reminded them of one of the chief attractions 
of the convent ; and they were taken to the kennels, and shown the 
noble animals who assist the monks in their searches. In 1830 the 
dogs all perished in a terrific storm, and the breed would have become 
extinct but for the fact that a pack had been sent to Hollingen, near 
Berne, which was now returned to the hospice. Tfre monk told them 
many interesting anecdotes of the sagacity of these dogs, — some of 
them are occasionally sent out alone, with a little flask of cordial 
attached to their collars. He said that they showed great uneasiness 
when the weather was stormy, as though anxious to be sent. When 
they find an unfortunate they bark loudly, and if not heard, will clear 




THE GREAT ST. BERNARD. 



THE GREAT ST. BERNARD AND MONT BLANC. 2 1 1 

the snow from him, and then run back, and by their capering and 
intelligent actions make themselves understood. The most famous 
of the St. Bernard dogs was Barry, who rescued forty persons. On 
one occasion he discovered a little boy, whose mother had been killed 
by an avalanche, and inducing the little fellow to mount on his back, 
carried him triumphantly to the convent. The monk told them that 
this dog, after dying of old age, had been stuffed, and was to be seen 
at the museum of Berne. 

The Judge strongly desired to bring away a pup with him to 
America, but after considering the matter, decided that the animal 
would probably be more useful at the hospice than at a New York 
mansion. " Nikolas and Katchen are pets enough," he said to Mar- 
garet. " I must help you in the maintenance of those children, and 
I will give up the idea of a St. Bernard dog." 

How many guests can you entertain ? " he asked of the monk, his 
lecture note-book in hand. 

" The hospice has eighty beds," the monk replied, " but we have 
sheltered as many as five hundred persons in one day, and entertain 
annually from eight to nine thousand. The heaviest work of the 
convent was done at the time that Napoleon crossed the Alps in his 
forced march in May, 1800." 

" I have heard that the convent is very rich in estates scattered 
through Switzerland." 

" It was so formerly. In 1480 it was at the height of its prosperity, 
for it owned ninety-eight livings. Now it possesses only a vineyard 
at Clarens and a farm at Roch." 

The monk next asked them if they would like to visit the morgue, 
where the bodies of such travellers as are found frozen to death are 
kept subject to the identification of their friends. 

Margaret declined this invitation and remained in the parlor with 
the children, but the Judge and Mr. Walker visited the melancholy 
building. Here were many bodies preserved by the cold, dry air; a 



2 1 2 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

mother still clasping her babe to her bosom, a strong man with a 
terrible expression of suffering frozen upon his features, and many- 
others, some crumbling to bone and dust, and others more or less 
perfect after the lapse of many years. 

After a comfortable night's rest our friends passed on their way, 
the Judge leaving a handsome gratuity in recognition of the hospi- 
tality received, and the noble work done for humanity by the monks 
of St. Bernard. 

" If anybody had told me," he said, as they rode away, " that I, a 
member of the Presbyterian Church, in good and regular standing, 
would contribute to the support of a popish monastery, I would have 
thought that either he or I had gone insane." 

As they emerged from the pass into the Rhone Valley, they were 
reminded of Dr. Bartol's remarks on the Pass of St. Bernard : — 

" In this as in the other passes, one is struck with the thought that 
God never builds up in the world an insuperable wall, but provides 
everywhere for his creatures an exit, some way of escape. Wide and 
deep from the valley of the Rhone opens the solemn door of the pass 
as for an army to march along. 

" The Pass of the Spliigen stands alone in the ghastly grandeur of 
the Via Mala, or Evil Way, where, betwixt opposing precipices, in 
some places nearly a third of a mile in height and often only a few 
yards apart, extending through a space of more than four miles, the 
most wonderful engineering has built a road along gulfs which it 
might be thought possible to span with nothing larger than a thread 
in the mouth of a carrier dove. Surely we can at length pass any- 
where, out of whatsoever difficulty, if we have been able to pass 
here." 

" There is one range of ' mountains before me," said Walker, 
" through which I do not as yet see any pass. I mean my future. 
I have prepared myself thoroughly as a civil and mining engineer. I 
hope to find employment in the western part of the United States, 




BARRY, THE BRAVE DOG OF ST. BERNARD. 



THE GREAT ST. BERNARD AND MONT BLANC. 2 I 5 

but as yet the way seems shut by an impenetrable wall. However, I 
shall not be discouraged, but look for the pass. You have mentioned 
the Pass of the Spliigen. I went over it this summer by diligence, 
and the awful beauty of the Via Mala fully justifies what has been 
written of it." 

" Tell me more of that trip," Margaret asked. " So much of con- 
sequence has happened that I have not heard as much as I would like 
of your summer wanderings." 

" From the Spliigen I pursued a northeast course through the 
beautiful valley of the Engadine to Innsbruck, thence to Salzburg, 
from which city I made a flying pilgrimage to the lakes of the Tyrol, 
— the Konigsee, the Obersee, and the Traunsee. At the Salz- 
Kammergat, one of the most interesting salt-mines in the world, I 
met a young Austrian who interested me in some lead-mines in 
Hungary. I had remarked on the terrible condition of the miners, 
and he told me that what interested him at these other mines was 
not the engineering, which seemed to him rather old-fashioned, but 
the attempt made by the owner to alleviate the condition of his 
laborers. As my chance acquaintance, a Herr Hauptman in the 
Austrian army, was on his way back to his post, I determined to 
accompany him, and see something of the enterprise in question." 

Margaret had been listening with increasing interest. 

" What was the name of the mines and of their owner ? " she asked. 

" The mines were called Nagy Krajova. I believe Nagy means 
'great,' and Krajova is the family name of the nobleman who is the 
owner of the estate, the Count Krajova Lajos, putting the Christian 
name last according to the Hungarian fashion." 

" Delightful ! " Margaret exclaimed. " I knew as soon as you 
began to tell about them that it must be Lajos. Did you really 
visit the mines ? And had he begun reforms ? He told me that 
he intended to institute them, but he did not talk as if he had already 
accomplished anything." 



2l6 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

" Indeed he has accomplished a great deal. I know of no miners 
whose families live in as comfortable cottages and have as much done 
for their well-being. While I was there an order came to erect a new 
building, which is to serve as schoolhouse and public library. I was 
sorry not to see the gentleman, but they told me he was travelling 
in Switzerland." 

" You had a glimpse of him at Glion, the evening you passed us by 
with such disdain," Margaret replied, mischievously. " He is a delight- 
ful man, and we learned to know him well and like him immensely, 
almost as well as a certain scornful scholar of my acquaintance." 

" However admirable he may be as a philanthropist," Mr. Walker 
replied, with a trace of pique, " he is the most unpractical man for the 
proprietor of a large mine of any that I know. It only proves what I 
have often heard, that a man cannot attend to everybody's business 
and his own at the same time." 

" I like the Count Lajos all the better," Margaret replied, with some 
warmth, "for first thinking of the welfare of those dependent upon 
him." 

" It seems to me that the first concern of a business man is his 
business, and there are immense resources in the count's mine if they 
were only properly developed. I do not mean to the prejudice of his 
workmen, but simply by the application of modern methods." 

" Then it seems to me that Count Lajos and you ought to be rolled 
into one man. Seriously, Livingston, I fancy that I have some influ- 
ence with him and that he might engage you as overseer of his mine, 
perhaps even take you into partnership if I asked it". 

" Please do not think of it. I do not wish to owe my advancement 
in life to wire-pulling, and still less would I be willing that you should 
put yourself in the position of asking so great a favor from this man." 

He did not say aloud, " whose successful rival I am," but he thought 
it, and with no feeling of vexation with Margaret. " Who could help 
loving her ? " he thought. " Poor Count Krajova, I am richer than 
you." 



THE GREAT ST. BERNARD AND MONT BLANC. 



217 




THE BARON. 



that a gentle- 



Their next stopping-place was the Valley of Chamouni, which they 
reached by a delightful drive by way of the Tete Noir. 

A well-known author has said that it is useless to use mountainous 
words to present mountainous things, and the 
beauties of this celebrated valley have been 
too often described, both in prose and verse, 
to need an extended account here. The mon- 
arch of mountains rose grandly before them, 
but Margaret was disappointed to find in the 
valley a collection of fashionable hotels like 
those of Interlaken, with all the modern con- 
veniences and inconveniences of porters, tele- 
phones, electric bells, and waiters in evening- 
dress. " It has been well said," Mr. Walker remarked, 

man is only to be distinguished from his 
valet by his aristocratic expression of in- 
nocuous imbecility." 

" Switzerland is indeed the summer- 
house of the world," Margaret replied, 
" and this is just the place for ' Calumet 
and Hecla ' to appear again." That very 
afternoon they caught a glimpse of the 
familiar face, which bore now the unfa- 
miliar name of the Baroness of Hohen- 
schlosse. 

The listless expression changed to a 
momentary gleam of pleasure as she rec- 
ognized Margaret. She dropped her hus- 
band's arm presently and came to the part 
of the veranda where Margaret was sitting. 

" I am married," she said, with a little flash of pride. " I am really a 




BARONESS OF HOHENSCHLOSSE. 



baroness now. 



Mother has gone back to America. 



He did not want 



2l8 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



her to live with us. I'm so sorry you didn't marry that handsome 
count ; then I could have seen you now and then. I foresee that I 
shall be a little lonely, for he wants me to drop my American friends ; 
but if you were a countess he would let you visit me. Good by ; he is 
beckoning to me." 

" And to think," Margaret said to herself with deep self-scorn, 
" that when I was in Lucerne I was like that ! " 
The Judge manifested no desire to climb 
Mont Blanc, though Mr. Walker assured him 
that it was not so dangerous as the Matter- 
horn. " It has been made this season," he 
informed the Judge, " by several Americans ; 
and among others by Dr. John S. White of 
New York, and by his son, a Harvard student, 
whose intellectual and athletic prowess at the 
age of seventeen are alike remarkable. It has 
also been made by ladies. The first was a 
French woman, Mademoiselle d'Angeville, who 
accomplished it in 1840. The rarity of the 
atmosphere frequently causes a giddiness, and 
even temporary insanity, which is known to 
the guides as the mountain sickness. It is 
an expensive trip, for besides provisions and 
equipments, four or more guides must be en- 
gaged, at twenty dollars apiece." 

" None of my money shall go in that way," 
said the cautious Judge. "Experience is the best school-teacher; 
but she's a very expensive one, as I have ascertained." 

The remainder of the party improved the day — a remarkably 
clear one — by climbing to a sightly point called " The Chapeau," a 
cliff -opposite Montanvert, where a hut had been erected for the use 
of travellers ; and here one clear day they enjoyed a picnic and a 




TO THINK THAT I WAS 
LIKE THAT ! " 



THE GREAT ST. BERNARD AND MONT BLANC. 219 

magnificent view of the mighty Mer de Glace, formed by the union 
of three glaciers, and not inappropriately named ; for its sharp pin- 
nacles are not unlike the stormy waves of an angry sea. 

" I think Shelley has best described this spot," said Margaret, 
reading the following selection made for the Judge's note-book : — 

"The glaciers creep 
Like snakes that watch their prey from their far fountains, 
Slowly rolling on ; there many a precipice, 
Frost and the sun in scorn of mortal power 
Have piled dome, pyramid, and pinnacle ; 
A city of death, distinct with many a tower 
And wall impregnable of beaming ice. 
Yet not a city ; but a flood of ruin 
Is there, that from the boundaries of the sky 
Rolls its perpetual stream ; vast pines are strewing 
Its destined path, or in the mangled soil 
Branchless and shattered stand ; the rocks, drawn down 
From yon remotest waste, have overthrown 
The limits of the dead and living world, 
Never to be reclaimed." 

" The Glacier des Bossons at Chamouni is a striking example of 
the exactitude with which the progressive motion has been calculated 
by scientists," said Mr. Walker. " Dr. Hamel and three guides were 
swept away by an avalanche, and buried deeply upon this glacier 
in the summer of 1822. It was impossible to recover their bodies; 
but Professor Forbes, on examining the locality where they perished, 
foretold that, according to his rate of glacier motion, they would 
appear at the bottom of the glacier in forty years. In 1862 relatives 
and friends of the lost men, as well as scientists anxious to investigate 
the truth of this theory, were on the spot, and many relics of the 
party were discovered : a lantern, a straw hat, a luncheon done up 
carefully, parts of a ladder, and several bodies, one of which was 
recognized." 



2 20 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

" I think," said Margaret, " that the. incident has been utilized in 
a novel. A young man is lost in this way, and after the lapse of 
forty years, his betrothed revisits the spot, and is confronted by his 
fresh young face, preserved unchanged in the snow, while her own 
has grown wrinkled and old." 

" I read in the Boston Transcript of a terrible accident which 
occurred here in 1870," continued Mr. Walker. " Three travellers, 
two of whom were Americans, John C. Randall of Quincy, Mass., 
and Dr. James B. Beane, a young physician of Baltimore, with three 
guides and four porters, attempted the ascent, and were all lost. 
The trip requires two days, and the party had spent the first night 
at the shelter of Les Grands Mulets, setting the usual signal to 
inform watchers below of their safe arrival. They completed the 
ascent the next morning, and were seen in the afternoon descending 
the mountain. Suddenly, as those who watched described it, a veil 
seemed to be thrown over them, and they disappeared. 

" At night no lights were shown at the Grand Mulets, and the worst 
fears were indulged. At five o'clock the next morning a relief party 
of thirty was organized and started out. They encountered a terrific 
tempest of sleet and snow, and were out all the following night, throw- 
ing the village of Chamouni into a panic of apprehension for their 
safety. They returned, however, after a fruitless search, reporting that 
such quantities of snow had fallen that all land-marks were covered, 
and that no human being could have survived such a night on the 
upper part of the mountain. Several days later the bodies of some of 
the party were found. They were seated, and Dr. Beane held a note- 
book containing several entries. The last, dated the night of the 
storm, was this : ' We have dug a grotto in the snow at a height of 
15,000 feet. I have no hope of descending; my feet are frozen and I 
am exhausted. I have only strength to write these words. I die 
believing in Jesus Christ, with the sweet thought of my family, my 
friendships, and all. I hope we shall meet in heaven.' " 



THE GREAT ST. BERNARD AND MONT BLANC, 22 1 

A little silence fell on the party after reading these words. The 
escape of the Judge and Nikolas was so recent that they seemed to 
bear a personal import. 

" What did you think of, Nikolas,' 1 Margaret asked, " as you lay in 
the ravine just before you were rescued ? " 

" I did not think that I was going to die," the boy replied. " I 
remembered the story you told me of the angels appearing to the 
shepherds, and the last thing that I remember is wondering if they 
would come and lift me out, and thinking that perhaps we had made a 
mistake in keeping cows instead of sheep, because the angels loved 
shepherds better than cow-keepers. That was foolish, was it not? 
Now I know that the good angels love us all." 



222 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND, 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE FETE DES VIGNERONS. 

With antics and with fooleries, 

With clappings and with laughter, 
They fill the streets of Burgos ; 

And the devil he comes after. 
For the King had hired the horned fiend, 

For fifteen maravedis ; 
And there he goes, with hoofs for toes, 

To terrify the ladies. 

Lockh art's " Spanish Ballads." 

ANNETTE, driven by an accusing conscience, had gone to 
Baireuth to make her confession to Cecilia. She had written 
a full statement of her deception, and left it for Margaret to 
read ; but she could not bear to face Margaret with it. Cecilia, we 
know, had always exercised a good influence over Annette, and to her 
she went in her hour of remorse. She hoped, too, to find the myste- 
rious countess, and through her to ascertain all the facts in regard 
to Margaret's aunt, and thus make some reparation for her fault. 

Brown Velvet, it will be remembered, had eaten up Annette's 
written confession, and Margaret was now approaching Vevey, hav- 
ing completed the circle of her Swiss tour in entire ignorance of her 
real position. The countess and her party had left Baireuth before 
Annette's arrival, but Cecilia received her kindly, heard the miserable 
story patiently, and while she did not attempt to lessen the girl's 
realization of her sin, helped her earnestly in her repentant efforts. 
Letters were immediately dispatched to the countess and to Lajos. 



THE FETE DES VIGNERONS. 223 

Cecilia remembered that the name of Margaret Du Fais, which 
Annette now declared was that of Margaret's great-aunt, was that of 
the countess's old friend, of whose property Lajos was the guardian. 

" Have you any proof of this ? " Cecilia had asked, " other than 
your own statement ? " 

" I have the letter of Margaret's aunt," Annette replied. " I took 
it from the desk just before leaving New York, for I had an idea that 
it might be useful in some way." 

" It will be very useful in identifying the Baroness Du Fais," 
Cecilia replied. And she accordingly added a postcript to her letter 
to the countess, asking her if she possessed any scrap of her friend's 
writing to send it, that the chirography might be compared. 

" This information is sure to create grave complications," she said 
to Annette ; " and you must wait here until we hear from the 
countess." 

An answer came in a few days in the person of Lajos himself. He 
had hardly more than arrived at home, when the news came, but it 
was of such importance, that he dropped his plans for improving 
the condition of the miners, and returned immediately to Baireuth. 
He reported the countess as completely prostrated by the shock. She 
was unable to travel, but sent in her stead the family lawyer, Kisfaludy 
Janos. Annette's deposition was taken, and the letter in her posses- 
sion compared with several sent by the countess, and found to be in 
the same delicate but eccentric script. The statements in the baron- 
ess's letter tallied exactly with the facts which were known to exist, 
and a crowning proof was the seal, the mailed hand bearing the fire- 
brand, which Lajos recognized at once as the crest of his aunt's friend. 

The next step was to apprise Margaret. Annette persisted that she 
had already done so, but a letter arrived from Margaret at this junc- 
ture, written from the hospice of St. Bernard, reminding Cecilia that 
the time was approaching when they had agreed to meet at Vevey, 
and speaking of Katchen and Nikolas as her cousins. Cecilia read 



224 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



this letter to Annette, and the girl was overwhelmed, at first with joy 
at the news that Nikolas was saved, and then with fear lest Margaret 
should decide to have nothing to do with the children when she ascer- 
tained that they were not her relatives. 

" She was so fond of Nikolas," Annette said, " that long after I 
regretted my deception, I kept it up for his sake, for she had planned 

to do such great things for him. I do not 
think I would ever have had the courage to 
confess if I had not thought that he was dead, 
and my confession could do him no harm." 

Annette determined that she would go to 
Vevey with Cecilia to take the children back 
to Zermatt in case Margaret wished to give 
them up. Now that she had eased her con- 
science by confession, she felt that she could 
even endure seeing Margaret, and the Hun- 
garian lawyer was of the opinion that as chief 
witness in the affair, her presence was neces- 
sary until it was entirely settled. 

The four accordingly set out together. As 

they were a little in advance of the appointed 

time of meeting, Cecilia and Annette stopped 

for two days in Berne, the capital of the Swiss 

Confederacy, the impatient Lajos hurrying on with his lawyer to 

Vevey. 

Had we time and space, an interesting chapter might be given to 
this ancient city, and to an explanation of the Swis government, which 
in many respects resembles that of the United States, of America. 

A republican constitution was formed in 1848, against which the 
monarchies of Europe protested without effect. Twenty-two little 
cantons form the Swiss Republic ; some of them are not larger than 
American counties, and the entire number of inhabitants scarcely 




A STUDENT OF BERNE. 



THE FETE DES VIGNERONS. 



225 



exceeds three millions. It is a republic in miniature, but its citizens 
have a more direct power in making their own laws than those of our 
own country. 

f 




HIGH STREET, BERNE. 



Should thirty thousand citizens or eight cantons disapprove of any 
law made by the Parliament it must be submitted to popular vote. 



226 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

" The people, not the president, hold the final veto power in Switzer- 
land." Indeed he has very little power of any kind and is only elected 
for one year. It is said that a session of the Swiss Parliament is a 
curious spectacle ; for the discussions are conducted in all three of the 
languages used in the confederation, — French, German, and Italian. 
The official interpreters repeat every remark made, translating it into 
the other languages so that all the members may understand. 1 

The new parliament houses are very handsome, but Cecilia was 
more interested in the antique architecture of the city. 

She stood before the clock tower at noon and watched the proces- 
sion of puppets, the knight in armor, and the bears, which file out as 
chimes strike the hour of twelve ; and she drank of the ogre foun- 
tain, erected to commemorate the possibly mythical story of the 
murder of a child by the Jews. 

Cecilia and Annette reached Glion only to find that every room in 
the house was taken, and that she had carelessly neglected to secure 
her own. A glance at the register reassured her; Margaret was here, 
and she asked to be shown to her room. 

Margaret was delighted to share her room with her friend, and 
ordered a mattress laid upon the floor of her little dressing-room for 
Annette, which was the best that could be done in the way of hospi- 
tality. They slept little that night, however, for each of the girls had 
a great deal to say. Lajos had not yet found Margaret, so that 
Cecilia had the pleasure of first communicating the news. 

" I do not quite understand what it all means," Margaret said, after 
the first shock was over; "but one thing is certain, I shall not give 
up the children. As for Annette, I forgive her freely. Like Joseph's 
brethren, she ' thought evil, but God meant it for good.' I never 
could have understood in any other way how the poor live, or have 
sympathized with their troubles so intimately if I had not believed 

1 The author is indebted for information in regard to the Swiss government to an article by 
S. H. M. Byers, published in the Youth's Companion for March, 1889. 



THE FETE DES VIGNERONS. 



227 



that I shared them. And after all, are we not of one great 
family ? " 

Annette, who was at her old trick of listening at the door, could 
not contain her gratitude, but burst in and threw herself at Margaret's 
feet, weeping and blessing her. 

Margaret was deeply affected. " There, Cousin Annette, that will 
do," she said. " We will not tell Mother Lochwalder or Yakob any- 
thing about this. I will be their 'lady 
cousin ' still. Go back and care for 
them while they live, and rest assured 
that Katchen and Nikolas are as dear 
to me as ever." 

Although Lajos and Mr. Kisfaludy 
had arrived at Glion for two days be- 
fore this, it so happened that they had 
not yet met Margaret ; for, owing to 
the crowded state of the hotel, they 
had been obliged to take a room at a 
hotel at Montreux. Lajos had tiwice 
mounted the hill to call upon Margaret, 
but had not found her at home. He 
had written her, asking her to appoint 
an hour when he might call ; but the 
clerk had so much to attend to that he 
forgot to deliver the letter, and it was 

not until the latter part of the fete that good fortune brought them 
together. 

The festival lasted five days, beginning on the 12th of August, 
with spectacles on the mornings of four of the days. On Wednesday, 
the 14th, there was a performance in the evening; but the day was 
reserved as a rest for the performers. The Judge had secured tickets, 
some time in advance, at five dollars each, for seats in the great 
amphitheatre for Thursday. 




KATCHEN AMERICANIZED. 



221 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



Every means of conveyance from Glion was packed ; but here, too, 
our friends had been so wise as to secure a carriage on their first 
arrival. They left Glion early in the morning, passed many pedes- 
trians on their way, and many vehicles filled beyond their capacity. 
The boats were loaded to the water's edge ; and though extra trains 
were run, hundreds of disappointed passengers were left standing 

upon the platforms of the stations. At 
the entrance to the out-of-door theatre 
it was still worse. Although the seats, 
erected upon scaffolding three stories 
high, contained twelve thousand per- 
sons, four or five thousand who arrived 
on Wednesday were unable to obtain 
admission. 

Three sides of the vast enclosure were 
framed by the tiers of seats. The fourth 
side was occupied by three monumental " 
entrances dedicated to Pallas, Bacchus, 
and Ceres. The background was formed 



by the beautiful line of the mountains. 
At exactly a quarter of eight an hundred 
handsome Switzers in national costume, 
preceded by a band of music, marched 
in, and took positions on each side. 
They were received with the enthusiastic 
applause of their compatriots, some of whom were heard to express 
the wish that Bismarck might have seen them. " Yes," said one 
sturdy Bernese, "he would see then what stuff our boys are made 
of, and would not talk so lightly of suppressing the Swiss Republic 
by force of arms." While the bells of the town rang eight o'clock 
the three corteges of Spring, Summer, and Autumn made their entrance 
amidst the salvos of artillery. 




AT THE FESTIVAL. 



THE FETE DES VIGNERONS. 



229 



After a Swiss hymn chanted by the full chorus, and the invocations 
of the high priests, dances were executed by each of the three com- 
panies, commencing by the " Children of Spring," charming little 
cherubs from five to eight years of age. Then the mowers, robed in 
sky-blue, simulated the cutting of grass, and shepherds and shepherd- 
esses, costumed in pale rose, led in beautiful troops of snow-white 
lambs. The gardeners next appeared, bearing arches twined with 
roses, forming a lovely arbor through 
which troops of pretty girls danced 
merrily. Then, filling the air with the 
bray of their mighty Alpine horns, 
came the herdsmen and dairy-maids, 
conducting beautiful cows, and here 
Nikolas's enthusiasm knew no bounds, 
though he declared that none of the 
was so handsome as 



prize animals 
Brown Velvet. 

Fribourg sang the Ranz des Vaches. 
The suite which accompanied Spring 
ended, and a group of haymakers 
dressed in red, carrying scythes and 
forks, gleaners in white bearing sheaves, 
and thrashers with flails, did honor to 

the goddess Summer, while a great mill came tottering in to complete 
the representation. To represent Autumn, a pretty ballet was danced 
to music by vintagers who executed all the processes of gathering- 
grapes and placing them in baskets which the boys emptied into a 
wine-press. Then came the triumphal car of Bacchus, escorted by a 
company of dancing Bacchantes, fauns and thyrsus-bearers. 

To close the performance and to stand for Winter, a village mar- 
riage procession was enacted. Among the guests were the twenty- 
two Swiss cantons dressed in the peasant costume appropriate to each. 



A celebrated singer of 




TAKING IT ALL IN. 



23O THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

The notary, in a black satin gown, followed ; then a group of fiddlers 
and pretty children bearing the wedding presents ; a dowry-wagon, 
loaded with the bride's furniture, and a band of huntsmen. It was a 
beautiful spectacle, and one which fully justified the enthusiastic 
praises which the countess had bestowed upon a former representa- 
tion. Margaret was very glad that their tour in Switzerland had 
chanced to include this privilege. 

But after the close of the performance the utmost confusion reigned. 
Passengers for Lausanne were obliged to wait for several hours at the 
railway station, though long trains of forty-five cars and three loco- 
motives had been provided. At the landings it was still worse. On 
the frail wharf without a railing were crowded hundreds of people 
desiring to embark in different directions, so that when the steamer 
for Geneva arrived many were borne on board by the press, and 
carried away who had an entirely opposite destination. 

In attempting to reach their carriage Margaret was separated from 
her friends, and was not able to find them for an hour. Judging that 
they would come in search of her, she stationed herself in a doorway 
near the entrance to the grounds of the festival, and waited. 

The crowd had partially dispersed when two gentlemen passed her. 
One of them glanced back over his shoulder when at a little distance, 
uttered an exclamation and hurriedly returned. It was Lajos, who 
had sought for her for four days without success. He introduced his 
companion, the lawyer Kisfaludy. Mutual explanations were made, 
and Lajos secured for them all a more convenient coigne of vantage in 
the window of a cobbler's shop. Here, where they could still keep a 
lookout for her friends, Lajos left the lawyer in care of Margaret, while 
he hurried away in search of the Judge. 

" Before I go," he said, "let me give my aunt's message. She begs 
that you will accept her apologies for — " 

"None are necessary, Friend Lajos." 

" It is like you to say so. We think differently. I owe you a 




VINTAGE FESTIVAL, VEVEY. 



THE FETE DES VIGNERONS. 



large debt outside the moneyed one. We will talk it all over at any 
time which will be convenient to you." And with a respectful bow, 
he was gone. 

The lawyer, a quizzical-appearing little man, regarded Margaret 
with keen inquiry. She could not help thinking that he looked 
exactly like a barrister in a play. He spoke excellent English, and 
began at once to discuss the new situation. 

" It is very fortunate for you, mademoiselle, 
that the discovery of the existing relations 
between yourself and the Baroness Du Fais 
was made so exactly in the nick of time." 

" How is that ? " Margaret asked. 

" The will of your respected great-aunt," 
explained the little man, " provided — and that 
of the late Count Krajova made a similar pro- 
vision — that if you preferred your claim as 
heiress to the baroness's estate at any time 
before the fifth of August of this year, one of 
three results should ensue. Case first : should 
a marriage be arranged between you and the 
Count Lajos, the estates of the late count and 
baroness would pass to you both jointly." 

" That case is impossible," Margaret replied promptly. 

" Exactly so. Now observe what follows. The estates pass in toto 
from whichever party declines the marriage to the party consenting 
thereto." 

" Then," said Margaret, " I do not see that I am the gainer by this 
will ; for I certainly decline this marriage." 

" My dear young lady, I will imagine that I have not heard that 
remark ; for it is so greatly detrimental to your own interests that it 
should not be made without due deliberation." 

" But nothing could induce me to marry the Count Lajos, much as 
I esteem him as a friend." 




KISFALUDY JANOS. 



2 34 



THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 



" Very good. There will be no necessity for you to do so. The 
Count Lajos has already declined to marry you. Your acknowledging 
yourself ready to carry out the provisions of this clause will not 
prejudice your future otherwise than to secure to yourself a valuable 
estate." 

" This is very astonishing," Margaret replied. " I must consult with 
Livingston — with my grandfather, I mean — I must think it over." 

" Exactly so. And, as I see the count approaching with a gentle : 
man, we will drop the subject." 

" I have found your party," said Lajos ; " and, at the same time, a 
gentleman whom I have been in search of for some time. I have 
heard a great deal of Mr. Livingston Walker, both from Miss New- 
ton, and, latterly, from a friend of mine, who tells me that he showed 
him our mines during my absence. I hope to have further conversa- 
tion with you, sir, on the subject of mining engineering." 

An appointment was made for a meeting on the following day, at 
Glion ; and Margaret, quite dazed by what had happened, was escorted 
by Mr. Walker to her carriage. 

She said nothing to her betrothed, or to the Judge, in regard to 
Mr. Kisfaludy's communication. It seemed to her, in spite of what 
she had said, that this was a matter which she must decide for herself, 
and that it could be decided honorably in only one way. She dreaded 
her grandfather's legal sophistries ; for she knew that he would regret 
her loss of the fortune, and would strive in every way to place it in 
her possession. 

Lajos and the lawyer arrived at the appointed time, and, leaving the 
latter to explain the will to the Judge and to Mr. Walker, Margaret 
asked Lajos to take a short walk with her in the grounds of the hotel. 

" Kisfaludy Janos tells me that he has informed you of the peculiar 
position in which we stand to each other," said Lajos. 

" Yes," replied Margaret, " and I have no doubt that it seems as 
absurd to you as it does to me." 



THE FETE DES VIGNERONS. 



235 



"It does seem as if our loving relatives, while they had our best 
interests at heart, muddled matters about as effectually as possible." 

" But the solution is very simple. I refuse you, Lajos. You won't 
mind it, I am sure, under the circumstances, and you are free and have 
the fortune besides." 

" I beg your pardon, Margaret ; it is impossible for you to refuse 
one who has never proposed for your hand." 

Margaret flushed. " But you won't mind doing so when I assure 
you beforehand that it is simply a matter of form, to secure your estates. 
I pledge you my word that I will certainly decline your offer." 

" I believe you, my friend ; but nevertheless I am not free to make 
one. I am betrothed to Alice. It would be dishonorable for mei as her 
promised husband, to propose for the hand of any other woman. 
Therefore, Margaret, the mines are yours. I only ask that you will 
try to perfect the reforms which I have instituted." 

Margaret tapped her foot impatiently. " Don't you see that the 
conditions are the same for both of us ? I cannot own the estate with- 
out first stating that I am willing to marry you." 

" And why not, since I have no desire to take advantage of that 
admission. You cannot fear, Margaret, that you are being led into a 
trap ? " 

" Oh ! no, indeed ; I am quite convinced that nothing could induce 
you to marry me, and it is very lovely of you. But then, you see, I 
can't even pretend to consent to this marriage, for I am engaged to Mr. 
Walker." 

Each of the young people looked at each other in comical per- 
plexity, and then burst into a merry peal of laughter. 

" Here's a pretty state of things," Lajos remarked at last. " I don't 
believe there ever existed just such another complication. We shall 
haveto leave it to be settled by wiser heads than our own. Let us go 
in and see what your grandfather and Kisfaludy Janos can make of it." 

They found the others awaiting their coming with serious faces. 



236 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

Mr. Walker in especial seemed ill pleased by the information which he 
had just received. His face lightened, however, as Margaret announced : 
u And Lajos and I wish it distinctly understood that under no circum- 
stances whatever can we or could we marry each other, for we each of 
us love some one else a thousand times more. And the old mines are- 
of no consequence whatever." 

" The question at issue then," said the lawyer, " is as to the priority 
of this decision." 

" I decided first," said Lajos promptly. " I decided that I cared 
more for Alice than for any other good fortune, when I first met her 
at Glion. The estate clearly belongs to Margaret." 

" But I decided at the same time," said Margaret, " that, although 
you are a very nice friend, Lajos, no fortune would induce me to marry 
you. 

"Children, cease your quarrelling," said the Judge; "we shall never 
come to a conclusion in this way. Was there not a third clause in the 
will, Mr. Janos ? " 

" Kisfaludy," Lajos corrected. "Janos is his Christian name, John, 
which we Hungarians write last." 

" Absurd custom ! " growled the Judge. " Well, Mr. Kiss-the- 
lady, — you have not read us the entire will, I believe." 

" The third provision related to the possibility of .the heiress not 
appearing before the fifth of August of this year. It reads as follows : — 

" Copies of both of these wills shall be sent to Miss Margaret Du 
Fais in the United States of America. And if the said Margaret Du 
Fais shall decease before her coming of age, or shall not present her 
claim, or it shall not be preferred by her legal representatives before 
the fifth of August, 1889, then the party of the second part, Krajova 
Lajos, shall be released from any obligations of' betrothal by us 
entered into, and from the conditions of property settlement stated 
in clauses first and second, but the original amount left by Margaret 
Du Fais, Baroness, shall be rendered to her said grandniece, her heirs 



THE FETE DES VIGNERONS. 237 

or assigns, without interest, at any time after the said fifth of August, 
1889, on which claim to the same shall be made." 

" Strange, that we never received a copy of the wills, but that 
certainly is the fairest thing all around," said the Judge. "It is now 
the fifteenth of August, you will observe." 

" Unfortunately," replied Kisfaludy, " information was received by 
us as to the identity of Miss Du Fais with the proofs contained in 
the confession of Annette Stauffer on the third of August." 

" Information, true," exclaimed Margaret, " but no claim was pre- 
ferred. / did not even authorize the sending of the information, and 
the will expressly states that the claim must be preferred by me or 
by my legal representatives. Clearly the circumstances fall under the 
third clause." 

" I believe you are right, young lady, and that it will be so decided 
by our courts," remarked Kisfaludy. 

" Then, Margaret," said Lajos, " we shall be equal owners of the 
mines. In what form would you like to have your property rendered? " 

" There will be time enough to settle that," said Kisfaludy, " after 
the will is duly approved by law ; but that is an easy matter now." 

And so the conference broke up, and in this way the knotty prob- 
lem was at last settled. 

Lajos urged them all to accept his aunt's invitation to visit at the 
chateau until everything was settled, but the Judge and Margaret 
were eager to return to America. It was finally agreed that Mr. 
Walker should represent Margaret's interests as Lajos's partner and 
superintendent of the mines, Margaret's funds not to be drawn from 
the works, as Mr. Walker believed that they were well invested there, 
and that with more progressive management might be made to yield 
a handsome income for all concerned. 

"I shall be glad of this," said Margaret, "for now I can educate 
my protegees, and Nikolas can have the best surgical treatment." 

" And our marriage need not be postponed to an indefinite future. 



238 THREE VASSAR GIRLS IN SWITZERLAND. 

I shall return to America next year to render an account of my 
stewardship, and if my report is satisfactory shall claim my reward." 

Thus ended the travels of the Three Vassar Girls in Switzerland. 

From Glion Lajos, Mr. Kisfaludy, and Mr. Walker returned to 
Hungary. The others crossed the lake to Geneva, from which point 
they had begun their Swiss tours. 

While here, and just before returning to America, it chanced that 
the Judge and Margaret passed the shop where the Judge had pur- 
chased his alpenstock, and had so confidently ordered it to be branded 
with the names of the most celebrated Alpine peaks. " I shall have 
the shaft sand-papered," said the Judge humbly; "for even before 
the rival members of the New York Geographical Society I cannot 
show quite the effrontery which is ascribed to an English mountaineer 
by Henry Glassford Bell in his poem : — - 

"MY ALPENSTOCK. 

" Best of artists, mark for me 
On my trusty alpenstock 
All the . proper things, d'ye see ? 
Every mountain, every rock. 

"That when I go home therewith 

Friends may know that I have been 
Quite as high as Albert Smith, 
Or balloon of Mr. Green. 

" Mark it with the Rigi first ; 
Some say that's an easy hill, 
Yet I own the place accurst 
Found me at the bottom still. 

" Then the Brunig — mark it strong ; 
Truth itself can't take offence. 
All that height I came along, 
Rattling in the diligence. 



THE FETE DES VIGNERONS. 

" Mark it with the Jungfrau next — 
Very few have ventured on her. 
That I did not I am vext, 
For I meant it, on my honor. 

" From Martigny by Tete Noir 

Or the Col de Balme they pace. 
I said only au revoir, 

When I saw the kind of place. 

" Mark it lastly with Mont Blanc, 

Though it made me gasp and quake 
With a kind of mortal pang, 
Just to view it from the lake. 

" Thanks, my artist ! Now I go 
Back to London with delight, 
For my alpenstock will show 

What becomes a man of might." 



2 39 




• 



7 3 l Q; 



/■ 

V 
•p 





* 




■o 


''% 






- s <$ 



'* 




% 








V* 





t> - p r. 



o 0" 



,0 o. 



V- V 






*)i i 



o^ -U 






V s 



x0 c> 






Vx^' 



00^ 






^ V 
\°°* 






^ ^ .', 




i"5 << 



'^^ 
^ 



VV c ° 



o 0' 



^ "% 












^ "r. 






S> o. 



"J- f? 






•r " V 



* A \ v 



<*> 
















-- _ \ I 6 






<k ■ 



C" 
^ 









•/>. 






N "/J 






,* v ^- 






C. - At 









h 



^ ^ 






> <* 









v 









A 



A °^ " 


















5*^ 


















^ 



* ^ ^ 










•^ 








o 




























\ 

















,<b *> 



vO o 






% <*> 



^ 









$%, 







































LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



III 



W 



020 676 594 A 



m 



ran 



i 



I 



m 



m 



m 



m 



